A Howard Girl's Story: Lady Sheldon
by Katherine Wyatt
Summary: The story of Lady Margaret Sheldon's life at court under the control of her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, and as Henry VIII's mistress.
1. An Unexpected Visit

Margaret Sheldon was born into a very important family as the daughter of Sir John Sheldon and Lady Anne Sheldon. She was not only a Howard girl but also a Boleyn girl, which gave her, from birth, great things to aspire to.

She grew up living in a very nice home called Shelton Hall in Norfolk. Her uncle, Thomas Howard controlled the duchy of Norfolk and also controlled the lives of each and every Howard and Boleyn girl in his grasp. One day, only a few days after Margaret turned sixteen, she was called to the drawing room of Shelton Hall by her father, and was instructed to wear her best dress and be on her best behaviour. Margaret questioned this, but as always, did as she was told and showed up promptly in the drawing room in her best dress. The servant at the door knocked on it for her, waiting for Sir John to beckon back.

"Is it my daughter?" Sir John's voiced called in question from beyond the doors.

"Yes sir." The servant replied.

"Let her in then."

The servant nodded kindly to Margaret and opened the door for her. She passed by him with a smile, entering the drawing room of her home. Inside she saw her father and mother, standing together, their eyes on her intently. She looked beyond them to see another man standing with his back towards her as he looked out the bay windows of the drawing room.

"Daughter." Sir John said plainly as Margaret entered the room. He did not even call her Margaret.

Margaret stood still and dropped into a deep and graceful curtsey. "My Father, Lady Mother." She addressed them. She waited for the other man to be introduced before addressing him.

Sir John's face suddenly broke into a grin. "You have an important visitor, daughter."

Madge raised her eyebrows. "And whom might that be, father?" She rose from her curtsey as she responded.

Sir John puffed up his chest and turned to his right, preparing to introduce the guest. "My lady, your lord uncle, the Duke of Norfolk is here to see you."

Margaret did not even wait for Lord Howard to turn around to face her. She immediately dropped into the deepest curtsey she could manage and inclined her head. "My lord Norfolk." She connected her eyes with him as he turned to see her in her curtsey.

He motioned with his hand for her to rise. "My Lady Sheldon." He nodded his head shortly to her, as he eyed her with interest. "You have become a beautiful lady indeed."

Margaret rose from her curtsey, keeping her keen eyes on her uncle. She heard it was not often he handed out compliments. "You are too kind, my lord."

He did not react to this. "I have come to see you for a very important matter and I can see now in your composure and your looks that you are very ready for the task at hand."

From her peripherals, Margaret could see her father and mother's faces, which both bore sly smiles of happiness. She would be their first to go to court, and they all knew it, she acted as if she had no idea what to expect though, as she knew this would please her uncle. She inclined her head once more. "My lord uncle, I will willingly accept any task you think I am ready for, and I assure you that I am ready for anything, in my mind and in my heart."

The duke turned himself again towards the window, looking out for a few moments before speaking. It was as if he enjoyed the tension he caused the Sheldon's, who were all standing still waiting for him to announce his task. When he finally turned back to them, his face was blank, giving no hints to what they all already knew he was going to say. "You are to come to court, my lady, to be a lady-in-waiting to Lady Anne Boleyn, your cousin." He paused for a moment for reactions.

Margaret curtseyed again, as deeply as the first time. "My lord uncle, I am so grateful for this task. I will do as you wish."

"Yes, you will. As you must know, Lady Anne is advancing very quickly in this world. She is very much favored by the king, even more than her sister, the Lady Mary. The king has given her beautiful chambers in Whitehall and has allowed her to acquire some ladies-in-waiting, to her pleasure. As I am very close to the king and Anne, they allowed me to choose who should come to court and I am happy to say that I have chosen you. I hope you will prove at court that my decision to do so was a good one for, if you prove otherwise, you will be sent home immediately and will not be allowed to return."

The duke's final words were very harsh, but Margaret did not falter. "My lord uncle, I will go to court and be a lady-in-waiting to the Lady Anne and I promise you, upon our family name, that I will not fail you. I will be the image of a perfect lady while I am at court and show no faults."

He nodded firmly in reply. "You must. There is only room at court for respectable women, so you must be a model one, as a lady-in-waiting to the Lady Anne. We want her to look good and if you, or any of her other ladies, act inappropriately, Anne's image will be effected and I will not tolerate that." He made a tight fist with his hand. "She is so close to achieving more than any other Howard has ever achieved, even me, that if anyone or anything screws this up, they will be severely punished."

Margaret nodded obediently. "I understand, my lord. I only know how to be a polite and respectable woman and I would never dare make Anne or our family look bad. I will be a model Howard and woman for all those at court."

The duke did not say anything for a few moments. He placed a hand on his chin, rubbing it slowly. A look of satisfaction appeared on his face and he replied: "Very well Margaret. You are to go to court at the beginning of next week then. I assume you know all the dances and how to play music?"

She nodded very quickly in response. "Oh, yes my lord uncle. I love both very much."

He nodded his head firmly and looked to Sir John and Lady Anne Sheldon. "I will send a carriage to take her to court on Monday. Make sure she is ready, that her languages are perfected and so on. She must be a model lady as she has promised."

"Of course my lord. We will have some new dresses made and have her review all her languages, practice her music and prepare her for court life." Sir John replied dutifully, his joy hidden in his tone.

The duke nodded shortly to Sir John and then turned to Margaret once more, approaching her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and grasped it tightly. "I will see you at court and call upon you the day you arrive to discuss your role further. See you at court, Lady Sheldon." With those final words, the duke left the room. Margaret stood in her spot, her eyes still where the duke had been standing only moments ago. She slowly averted her gaze to her mother and father, who grinned at her with pleasure.

"We are very proud of you Margaret." Sir John said, looking to his daughter. He rarely ever called her by her name or congratulated her on a job well done.

Her mother nodded. "Yes, we are. When you were young we always thought it would be Mary but as you got older, your beauty became much more extravagant than hers."

Margaret curtseyed to her mother and father. "Thank you both."

Sir John approached her, followed by her mother who followed behind him. "No daughter, we thank you."


	2. From Margaret to Madge

Margaret spent the next week very busy with her tutor. She reviewed everything she had learned from birth to that year, even her manners. She was overwhelmed with anticipation and became very anxious Sunday night before her departure. She sat up in her bed, her sister Mary standing in her room.

"I am so nervous!" Margaret admitted sheepishly from her bed.

Mary raised her eyebrows at her sister. "You are nervous?" She snorted. "I can't see why uncle is sending you and not me."

Margaret opened her mouth, she was offended. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means exactly what it sounds like it means!" Mary retorted. Her jealousy was obvious. "I mean, I am so much more suited for court life. I am more beautiful, smarter and much more proper than you. I'm outgoing and you're shy. I am better at the lute than you are. My singing voice is much more pleasant than yours. I am the all around better sister! Not to mention, I am older than you! It should be me going!" She stamped her foot down on the ground furiously, crossing her arms in front of her.

Margaret's mouth gaped open in shock and offense. "I can't believe that you've just said that!" She said as she too crossed her arms as she sat on her bed. "You didn't have to go into such detail…"

Mary shook her head. "And here's another point. You're much too passive. Lady Anne is the exact opposite of you. I can't see her being very fond of you. Oh, and, what kind of name is Margaret! Mary is so much sweeter to say, to hear coming off the lips of suitors." She sighed as she dreamt of court life. "It's not fair!"

Margaret stood up from her bed, leveling herself with her sister, who was still a little taller than her. "You're just jealous and being snotty because of it. I'll forget what you said for now." She uncrossed her arms and smiled sweetly at her sister. "If you can just be nice about it, I'll send you gifts from court and write to you and maybe," she said, putting a lot of stress on the maybe. "I will talk you up to the Lady Anne and uncle and see if I can convince them to send you to court as well."

Mary kept her arms crossed tightly against her chest for a few moments longer, looking past her sister at the wall. Margaret knew she had only to wait a few more minutes before Mary would give in and agree, and she was right. "Oh, damn you Madge." Mary snipped. "Fine. I'll stop being so mean but you have to promise to mention me to uncle and to Anne. Tell them how beautiful and gracious I am…"

Margaret began to giggle under her breath, although she tried to remain composed and serious. That earned her a punch in the side from Mary.

"Ouch!" Margaret exclaimed as she felt her side ache. "What was that for?"

Mary frowned at her. "I can see you laughing. I am serious though, tell them about me."

Margaret rubbed her side. "I will. I promise."

"And you'll write to me too?" She asked, a smile appearing on her face at last.

"Yes Mary. I'll write to you."

The smile turned into a full on grin. "Can I give you one suggestion?" Mary asked.

Margaret raised an eyebrow at her. "If you want, what is it?"

"Call yourself Madge at court. It suits you better. You're not a Margaret at all! You do not compare to the princess in looks nor in wits."

Margaret opened her mouth, faking offense. "Mary! I thought you were going to be nice!"

Mary burst into a fit of laughter, her arm wrapping around her sisters shoulders. "Madge, I was kidding about the last part. You are a princess in your own right, I suppose." She squeezed her closer to her. "I was serious about calling yourself Madge though. It does suit you better."

Margaret leaned against her sister, resting her head on her shoulder. "Very well Mary. I will call myself Madge, if that will please you." She leaned up and thought for a moment. "I think you're right anyway, I'm not much of Margaret."

Mary chuckled and let her arm fall, patting her sister on the back. "You will be a good asset to the English court, my sister."


	3. Palace of Whitehall

The next morning, Sir John, Lady Anne and Mary bid Madge farewell and good luck as she got into the carriage the duke had sent for her.

"Always listen to your uncle and your cousin, Anne. Trust in no one but them." Sir John instructed his daughter, his hands on both her shoulders. He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead, something he had never done before. Madge was not sure whether or not she should appreciate this or scrutinize his decision, trying to figure out whether it was because he did truly love her as a daughter or only because she was making the family proud. Nonetheless, she replied, hugging her father.

"I will father. Goodbye."

Her mother bid her farewell too, giving her a kiss on both cheeks, another new and surprising ritual before warning her to be on her best behaviour and to act like a proper lady.

Lastly came Mary, her dear sister, who despite her extreme jealousy, was very kind to her on her departure and gave the only meaningful goodbye that Madge could believe was true and not false.

"My little sister," Mary whispered in Madge's ear as she hugged her more tightly than her mother or father had. "I will miss you while you are at court. Shelton Hall will not be the same without you. Keep your promises and write to me and such."

Madge hugged her sister back with all her strength. "Goodbye Mary. I will keep my promises, I assure you."

They released from their hug and Madge got into the carriage, once of her uncle's guards closing the door for her. The guard then hopped onto the front of the carriage, sitting beside the driver. Madge pressed her face up against the window as she waved goodbye, mainly to her sister, and the carriage began to move. She said goodbye in her head as she continued to wave, to her sister, to her family and to her life at home which was quiet and comfortable in the country. Her life would no longer be a personal one, it would forever be public. Tears rolled down her face once she was out of sight, off her family's property. She could not let herself cry for long as she feared arriving at Whitehall with a tear streaked face. She took a few moments to compose herself, wiping the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her dress.

"Do not act like a child Margaret." She said to herself. "You are a woman now and a lady-in-waiting. You must be calm and composed."

The rest of the ride there, Madge spent her time writing. It was something she enjoyed doing as well as something that calmed her down. She liked to write poetry, and although she had never shown her poems to a soul, not even her sister; she thought they were decent pieces of work. Today, she wrote of a girl's journey to bigger things in a very metaphorical way. The girl was nervous for her adventure into the real world, but she accepted the challenge willingly. Writing the poem distracted Madge on her journey to Whitehall and fully composed her for her encounter with her uncle, who waited for her at the front of the palace when she arrived.

She stepped out of the carriage once the guard opened the door for her. Her eyes wanted so badly to look up, taking in all the details of the beautiful palace that was Whitehall, but she knew her focus would have to be on her uncle, as it would soon have to be on Anne, at all times. She would rarely have a moment to glance around in awe. "My lord uncle." She addressed him, curtseying kindly. Thomas watched her with hawk eyes, examining everything about her from her curtsey to her posture to the details of her new gown.

"Lady Sheldon. I have come to greet you so that we could speak before you go to meet your cousin, the Lady Anne." He said sternly. Madge rose from her curtsey. "Let us walk." He instructed. He turned quickly to the guards and gave them a hand motion, which Madge assumed meant to take her things to her new chambers in the palace. The guards did not stall a moment and got to work quickly moving her things, while her and her uncle entered the palace.

"I just wanted to take a moment to explain your duties." Thomas began. "You are to be a comfort to your cousin, the Lady Anne and a supporter. If you hear anyone speaking badly of her, I want you to report to me immediately, that includes any of her ladies, or any of those who pretend to be close to her."

Madge nodded as she hurried to keep up with her uncles pace. "Yes my lord uncle."

"You are also to keep me informed of any and everything that I would consider important. Specifically court gossip, especially if it concerns the king, Anne or any other Howard. Do you understand?"

She nodded quickly again. "Of course my lord uncle. I will report to you immediately if I hear anything of the sort."

"Good." He replied shortly. He halted in front of a door, where guards stood, and Madge stopped on her heels beside him. "This is the Lady Anne's chambers. You are to meet her now and then one of her other ladies will show you to your rooms."

Madge dipped into a curtsey once more for her uncle. "Thank you my lord uncle. I will not disappoint you."

"I hope not." He replied as he left Madge at the door, walking swiftly down the hall. Madge was glad that he had at least brought her to Anne's chambers, as if he had left her to find them herself, she would have been lost in the palace for hours, to shy to ask for anyone's help.

She turned to the guard. "I'm here to see the Lady Anne." She said unsteadily. The guard of course, had already known this as he had been eavesdropping on her conversation with her uncle. He nodded as if he did not know however.

He called through the door: "Lady Anne, a visitor for you."

"Send them in." A cool voice called back.

Madge gulped loudly as the guard opened the door for her to enter. She walked by him, trying to smile, and entered her cousins chambers. She immediately felt the gazes of several women fall on her. She could feel her body shaking a little beneath her and she pinched herself as she held her arms together, hoping to compose herself. She was a Howard girl after all. She couldn't enter a room shaking, especially in front of Anne. She pushed a smile onto her face and looked around the room. Anne was not hard to find in her dazzling gown and embellish French hood. Her dark brown hair glowed beautifully, her eyes were piercing. Madge curtseyed to her politely. "My lady."

Anne looked at her for a few moments, perhaps judging her, Madge could not tell. After a few moments of staring, Anne stood up and a grin spread across her face, making her even more stunning than before. Madge certainly understood why the king fancied her so; she was gorgeous. "My cousin!" Anne exclaimed in a sweet voice as she walked over to Madge. She opened her arms wide and brought her into a warm embrace. "How are you?"

They released from their embrace and Anne took a step back to observe Madge as she replied. "I am good, my lady. Better now that I am here and in your service."

Anne continued to beam at her. "A true Howard girl you are." She laughed out loud, almost musically. "Your journey was not long?"

Madge shook her head. "No, it was pleasant, my lady."

"I am glad to hear that cousin. What would you like me to call you? Margaret?"

Madge shook her head. "Madge preferably my lady. I'm not much of a Margaret myself."

Anne's musical laughter came again. "Oh of course Madge! I like that name a lot." She turned and began walking back to her seat. "You can sit, Madge." She threw her hands out generously, offering Madge virtually any seat in the room that was free. Madge chose the one beside a girl, who looked nice, with dark brown hair. She sat prim and proper in her seat, watching Anne and admiring her with her eyes.

Anne then looked around at all her ladies as she took her seat once more and smiled. "Ladies, this is our newest edition, Lady Madge Sheldon." She grinned at Madge once more. "She is my cousin, so treat her right. Now, let us continue with our sewing, shall we?" All the girls in the room nodded back in unison, except Madge, who nodded a little off cue. Anne did not mind this as she barely noticed.

Madge looked around for sewing equipment, and as she looked, the girl beside her noticed her puzzled expression.

"Here." She said, standing up and picking up some needles and thread for Madge, bringing them back to her seat. "Take this. We're making shirts for the poor."

Madge smiled at her invitingly. "Thank you my lady. What is your name?" She asked, curiously. She did not look English and her accent was somewhat noticeable. She had not expected Anne to have foreign ladies at her court, but she was not displeased.

"Nan Saville." She replied with a smile.

"Nice to meet you Lady Nan." Madge replied. "I know that you know who I am as Lady Anne has just announced me."

Nan nodded, her eyes turning momentarily to Anne, again with a glow in them that Madge noticed. She assumed a lot of girls looked up to her cousin as she was clearly gorgeous, unbearably witty and very kind. "You are so lucky to be a Howard and to be related to such an admirable woman, the Lady Anne."

"Thank you, Nan." She replied, not surprised by the comment. "I am very fortunate, yes. I am so glad that I was asked to come to court as a lady-in-waiting to Lady Anne. I hope to learn a lot from her."

"Yes, me too, Lady Madge, me too." Nan replied, her eyes still glowing with envy for Anne and maybe now, Madge too.

Madge spent the rest of the time talking with Nan, Anne and the other ladies-in-waiting, including Lady Agnes, who she took quite a liking to. Nan took her to her chambers when all the ladies were excused to wash up and prepare for dinner, and once she was alone, Madge threw herself onto her bed in exhaustion, lying there in peace for as long as she could, which was not very long.

Lady Nan came to fetch her again once it was time for dinner and admired Madge's gown as she stepped out of the room. The two ladies return to Anne's chambers to escort her to dinner. On their way there, and on their way to dinner, Nan and Madge chatted about the changes that had recently occurred in the palace. With the king's eye on Anne, he had sent his wife, Queen Katherine, away from court to Kimbolton Castle. Madge had never met the queen, but she had heard that she had been a very nice queen and it was well known fact that England loved her. Deep down, Madge felt terrible for Queen Katherine but she could never say this to anyone, not Nan, not even her sister in a letter, because who's to say who would read it.

"So does that mean the king intends… to get an annulment with Katherine?" Madge questioned. She did not address her as queen as she spoke to Nan, because she thought Nan would judge her for this, as she held Anne so high in her heart.

Nan nodded happily. "Oh yes. He wants to so very much but the Pope is not agreeing. I think that he will take further actions to make it possible."

Madge raised a curious eyebrow. "Like what?"

Na shrugged, truly unknowing. "I've no idea, but if I know the king, he will get what he wants in the end."

Madge nodded slowly. She did not know the king, but again, she had heard stories of him and again, she felt secret sympathy for Queen Katherine. "So, Anne will one day, maybe, be Queen of England?" Everything was coming together in her mind.

"Yes. That is what we hope for, is it not? I am sure that is what Lady Anne prays for everyday at Mass." Nan's tone began to irritate Madge, but she tried her best to ignore this. After all, shouldn't it be her, a fellow Howard girl, rooting for her cousin?


	4. William Francis

Madge had only been a few days at court when she met William Francis, who was like her; fresh to court. He, unlike Madge however, was not a Howard, nor a Percy, nor a Seymour. He did not hold any high rank in name, but his father was married to the Princess Cordelia, who was the daughter of Katherine of Aragon and King Henry, which made him of some importance.

It was late at night when they met and Madge had been wandering the halls for a bit on her way back to her chambers when she bumped into him, literally.

"Oh, I am so sorry!" Madge apologized quickly, although she did not hurt the man. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"No, you weren't!" William replied with a chuckle. He had a blonde mop of hair on his head that contrasted nicely with Madge's long brown locks. He was much taller than her, so she had to look up to speak to him.

Her cheeks blushed red as he teased her. "I am sorry…" she murmured.

He smiled at her kindly. "It's not a problem." He straightened his posture. "I'm sorry my lady, but I don't think we've met before? I'm William Francis."

Madge returned his smile. "Lady Madge Sheldon, sir." She curtseyed to him.

He burst into laughter and Madge felt her cheeks, once more, turning a shade of red, as they always did when she was embarrassed. "What is so funny?" She asked.

"You!" He replied. "I am no lord, and I am certainly no duke. I am just a normal man here. There is no need for you to sweep a curtsey to me!"

"It's more of a kind gesture for me." She admitted. "I'm sorry."  
"Oh my lady, do not apologize. I suppose it is an easy mistake to make." He joked, laughing to himself again. "What are you doing walking the halls alone?"

Madge shrugged. "I was just on my way back to my chambers. I tired of the dancing." Her feet had become sore the past few days from so much dancing, so she had told Anne that she had felt ill and that she would retreat to her chambers to rest.

"Me too." He said. "I'm not much of a dancer actually, but I was bored." He paused for a moment, eyeing her; but not in a way any man would. He eyed her in a different way, a way she had never been eyed before. "Would you like to come to my chambers? I mean… just to talk, or something."

Madge finally had a turn to laugh at him. He sounded awkward and embarrassed by his own comment. "Sure. I'd love to talk." It seemed as if he was being honest about his intentions, plus no one was around to snoop and make assumptions. She needed someone she could talk to and truly trust at court, could she find this in him?

He smiled sincerely. "Follow me then."

They went to his chambers and he offered her a seat near the fire as he went to go grab glasses and a bottle of mead. When he came back he put the bottle and the glasses down on the table between them and popped the bottle, pouring it into both the glasses fairly.

"So, is Madge your full name?" he asked as he put the bottle back on the table, picking up his glass.

She shook her head as she picked up her own glass. "Oh no, it's Margaret. My sister has called me Madge my whole life and well, I'm not really much of a Margaret."

"Ah. Yes, I like it. It's a good nickname."

She sipped her mead. "Where are you from?"

"Bavaria. My father is Daniel Francis; he's married to the Princess Cordelia, daughter of King Henry. What about you?"

"Bavaria!" She exclaimed with interest. "I've never been, I've heard that it's beautiful though. I'm from here… well, Norfolk, but that isn't far from here. My father is Sir John Sheldon and my mother, Lady Anne Shelton. She's the sister of Thomas Boleyn, Lady Anne's father, so she's my first cousin."

William leaned back in his seat. "Bavaria is beautiful, but I needed something new. There was nothing left there for me." He said dreamily, thinking of his home. "You must be high in the king's favour if you are related to the Lady Anne and a Boleyn girl yourself? I've heard he has thing for Boleyn's." He chuckled to himself.

She scrutinized him with her eyes for his comment. "I have not heard such things sir." She lied. She knew that her cousin Mary Boleyn was often called the great whore behind her back because of her endeavors with the king before Anne had come into the picture. She knew too that Mary had two bastard children by the king, who were only falsely named Carey, their red locks giving away their Tudor blood. "And no. I myself, I am not high in his favour. I've actually never met the king. I am only a lady-in-waiting to Anne and I am realistically a nothing and a nobody compared to all the lords and dukes. I would like to change that someday though."

"I see. So you aren't like all the other women here? All the other ladies-in-waiting?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean sir?"

"I mean you don't plan to seduce and bed the king for some new title or some gold coins?" He paused watching her reaction. "Sorry, I didn't mean to accuse you of anything."

To his and her own surprised, Madge laughed. "I would never do such a thing for money or for titles!" She said. When she thought about it for a few moments though, she realized she would do something like that, as Anne and Mary had done before her, but only if she were ordered by her lord uncle to do so and he would never ask her to do something like that as Anne was now so close to the crown. Another Howard girl would never have to work for the king's love again as Anne had captured it.

He laughed too, happy that she was not offended by his somewhat rude comment. "What would you do it for then?" he asked, still teasing her.

She looked away for a moment, trying to erase her previous thoughts from her mind. She could not tell someone she had just met what she had just thought. Her family's ambition was often too much for some people to handle. "I do not think I would do anything, sir." She replied simply as she looked back at him. "I want to give my maidenhead to someone that I love, not the king. Not to say that I do not love the king, as I do, like any loyal subject but I love him in a different way." She paused for a moment, considering how to say what she wanted to say next. "The only way I could ever see myself bedding the king would be against my own will and by my family's. They do not and will not ever need me for such tasks however, as Anne is on the rise and has captured the king's heart. I am very thankful that it is her and not me."

William looked at her sympathetically. He had never thought about how difficult a woman's life was at court until now; how much harder it was then a man's. "You are a pawn in your family's chess game then, Lady Sheldon?"

"Each and every Boleyn and Howard girl is a pawn in the game of fortune and fame. Our parents play us like cards under our uncle's command and to my parents; sending me to court was only the proudest moment of my life to them." She sighed. "William, are you the king of your own game of chess? Are you lucky enough to have at least that much freedom?"

William's sympathy for her was overflowing. He suddenly stretched his arm out and touched her hand, which rested on her lap. A tingly feeling went down Madge's back and her cheeks began to blush. "I am fortunate enough to be the king of my own game, ma'am."

Madge was, at first, surprised that he had taken her hand. She considered pulling hers away and ordering him not to touch her as she was a Howard girl and if anyone heard of this, specifically her uncle ,she would be in trouble and she would be sent home. Her actual reaction was a lot different then she had planned however. She grasped his hand with her own for comfort. "I wish so dearly that I could go against my family's will, rebel against them…" her eyes looked sad. "But I cannot yet. I need them. Without them I would be nowhere with nothing, no husband, no money, no home. I need the comfort of them, even though they are not the best comfort; I still know I can lean back on them as long as I am loyal." She looked down at her gown shyly. Had she just told him too much? Would he go about spreading her word to the court and having her exiled? "You are lucky sir to have the freedoms you have. Never take your freedom for granted."

He squeezed her hand. "Would you leave your family if you found someone to replace the comfort they give you?"

She thought for a moment. "I believe that I would, yes. I can't see why not."

He looked over her slowly, taking in her hair and her blushing cheeks. He smiled and asked: "I'm sorry, how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

She looked up at him. "I am only sixteen sir. I am young." She expected him to release her hand and immediately feel disgusted and if not, she assumed she would find out he was much older than he looked and then she would be nervous to be around him.

Instead, he grinned. "I am only seventeen! We are both young! I have not met anyone younger than me here yet."

She smiled, relaxing in her seat a bit as she begun to feel more comfortable with the boy. They continued to talk till the early hours of the next morning. By the end of the night, Madge and William were quite close to each other. She taught him to dance la Volta as he had never once before danced with a woman.

"Dances always seem to bring out emotion." He whispered in her ear as they finished the dance, their bodies pressed against each other's.

"Have I made you feel uncomfortable?" She asked in a worried tone. That is not what her intention had been; she had merely wanted to teach him the king's favorite dance.

"Not at all." He whispered back as he looked at her face, her nose, and her lips, taking in her beauty. Madge's eyes followed his gaze until they made full eye contact. She felt the sudden urge to push herself closer to him and kiss him; so she did. She placed her lips so lightly on his, kissing him for only a few moments. It felt great, like nothing Madge had ever felt before. For a moment they looked each other, but it did not last long. Soon they were kissing each other more passionately and lying on the bed together, William on top of Madge.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" William asked her in whispers as she pushed his shirt off.

Madge had not really thought about what she was doing at all. She sat up a bit under William, realizing what they were doing. She looked at him with sincere eyes. "I like you." She said shortly. "I tend never to do things I don't want to do but…"

"But?"

"If I do this, if we do this I mean… you can't tell anyone and neither can I. We have to keep it secret, we have to keep whatever us being together is, secret. My uncle is the Duke of Norfolk and if he heard word of this kind of behaviour from me, he would send me home as he warned me before I came." She frowned. "I would understand if you aren't okay with that. I mean, us being all secretive."

Again, William's sympathy returned for Madge. He put a hand on her neck and kissed her nose. "I wouldn't want you nor ask you to do anything against your conscience or that would put you in danger with your family."

She felt his lips on her neck and trembled with pleasure. She had never known her neck was sensitive, as she had never been kissed there. Matter of fact, William was only the second boy she had kissed in her life. Many thoughts were going through her head, mostly ones fearing her uncles' rage, but her heart was telling her differently. "I should be able to do what I want, shouldn't I?" She asked, more to herself than to William. "As long as we are careful, then I am sure that I want to do it."

He smiled, her response taking him by slight surprise. "You are sure?" he asked once more for reassurance. He did not want to force her into anything she did not want to do and he certainly didn't want her exiled from court as he had already begun to enjoy her company.

She nodded firmly. "Yes, I am sure. I will do what my heart tells me for once, and not my lord uncle."

William chuckled and returned to kissing her neck. Madge felt like squirming after each kiss, as her neck was so sensitive, but she stayed as still as she could, running her fingers through his hair as he kissed her. He leaned Madge up, beginning to unlace her dress with his teeth and when he was done he slid her dress and corset off, revealing her plump breasts and her femininity. He began to kiss her breasts and Madge pulled off his shirt and then let her hands wander to his trousers, beginning to loosen them too.

"Is this your first time?" He asked, as he kissed her still. He used a neutral tone.

Madge blushed and was relieved that William was not paying attention to her cheeks at the moment. "Yes."

"I will be gentle then, darling." He cooed to her.

Madge found herself experiencing a great amount of pleasure, pleasure that she had never felt before in her life. She groaned as William's lips touched her nipples.

"You are so soft." He commented as he began to kiss from her leg up.

"And you are so good." She groaned with pleasure as he began to kiss her inner thigh.

He returned once more to her lips and pulled his head back a bit to look at her. "I'm not going to fast, am I?" He looked concerned.

Madge could barely reply as she was completely focused on his hand, which played with her nipples. "No, this is fine. Go at whatever speed you would like."

William nodded, kissing her on the lips and then beginning to kiss down her neck towards her stomach. He teased her, kissing her inner thighs once more and then slowly eased himself into her, hearing her moan with pleasure and pain all at once as he did. Madge bit her lip hard, trying to silence her screams. She could feel the pain, but she was too distracted by the pleasure of it all to let it bother her. She nibbled at his hear and then began to kiss his neck, watching him smile with enjoyment. She then grabbed onto his thighs as they moved, which helped her to get more momentum.

If she hadn't of told him she was a virgin, he would never had known experience wise, as all her movements went so well with his, as if she knew what she were doing. He pushed deeper, hearing her moan once more. A feeling of pleasure spread all over his body at each movement and each moan he heard come from her mouth.

They continued on for much longer, Madge having the courage to flip him over and get on top for more speed. Eventually the pain became more noticeable and Madge began to wince. William took this as a hint, flipping her onto her back and allowing her to climax just before he did.

"Oh William…" she moaned once they were done. He threw himself onto the bed, his body exhausted.

"Do I please you Madge?" He asked. He was breathing heavily.

Madge took a few deep breaths before speaking. She could still feel the tingly feeling of her orgasm all over her body. "Oh yes, William. You do please me, very much. Matter of fact, I couldn't imagine being more pleased right now. Did I please you?" She had been more worried about her performance as she had never before bedded a man, and she had always believed that she would have done so for the first time with her husband, the one she loved. She did not regret her decision however because she liked William.

William turned over on his side to look at Madge, stroking her cheek with a finger. "You have done more than just please me, Madge. You made me feel a passion, one that I have never felt before. With every kiss, with every touch, you made me feel amazing."

Madge turned on her side too, snuggling closer to William, feeling his warmth. "I felt a passion as well. It was beautiful." She could not think of any other word to describe it; oh wait, stupid, as her sister Mary would soon say once she told her; if she told her.

William kissed her on the lips and smiled. He looked into her eyes for a few moments, thinking. "Does this mean I am courting you now? We are… together?"

This topic turned Madge's brain on. She sat up a bit against the backboard of the bed and looked down at William as she traced shapes on his arm. "I suppose we are together, yes." But was he allowed to court her? Publicly? Would her uncle not notice and punish her? "As for the courting, I would enjoy if you courted me publicly but…"

"You and your buts…"

She giggled. "But," she continued, emphasizing her words. "I am not sure how my family would feel about that… like I said before; I could be exiled from court!"

"And like I said, I would never want to do anything that would get you in trouble with your family."

She sighed, again letting herself think. This was not a decision that should be made in a few minutes. Perhaps she should never have been faced with the situation at all. If she had been smart, like Mary would have been; or so she claims, then she would have said no, I do not want to sleep with you William Francis and kept him as a friend, or sacrificed the friendship. Madge had not done this though. Instead she had listened to her heart and not her Howard brain and had slept with the man, giving away her maidenhead to him when he could easily leave her tomorrow and sleep with another woman. It was possible however; that her heart had told her to do this for a good reason and that for once, she should trust it, ignore Mary's nagging voice in her head. "You know what?" She asked William rhetorically. "I don't care what they think. You can court me publicly; I'll just deal with them later. I could deny any gossip anyways, they have no proof." Madge's voice was stubborn and aggressive, two things she never was.

"So I can kiss you in public?" He asked excitedly.

"With my permission." She replied with a sly smile.

"Of course." He said with a grin. "You know, if your family ever does say anything, I'll be with you to stand up to them."

She stroked his face with a hand as she lay back down on the bed beside him. "You are so sweet."


	5. The Duchess of Palma de Mallorca

"Are you feeling better this morning Madge?" Nan asked as they walked through the gardens with Anne and the other ladies. Madge looked tired; she had been up all night with William, talking about everything and anything they could think of. She thought she knew enough about him now that she could write a biography!

"Yes, much." Madge replied shortly.

Nan's eyes were criticizing her. "You don't look better. It looks like you didn't get a minute of sleep."

Madge laughed. "Yeah, I didn't sleep well." She lied. "Perhaps I'll retire early again tonight." She thought of William and wanted to smile, but she did not.

"Yes that sounds like a good idea Madge. You must get better so you can dance and sing with the rest of us. We have so much fun."

Madge smiled. "Yes, I hope to recover after tonight so that I may join you in all the fun."

* * *

Madge was in her chambers right after dinner, waiting for William to come call on her once he could sneak away from the hustle and bustle of the hall. When she heard a knock on her door, she stood up immediately rushing over to open it. She was surprised when the face she saw at the doors was not William's and not even one she was familiar with.

"Hi, I'm sorry, can I help you?" She asked as politely as she could. She was a little disappointed it wasn't William and it showed in her voice. The girl did not seem to notice this though.

"Sorry my lady, I just am here visiting and I am trying to get acquainted with everyone I can." The girl replied. She was a pretty girl with wavy brown hair past her shoulders, blue eyes and tanned skin. It was obvious that she was not from the English court.

"Oh!" Madge exclaimed, her voice still more dull that it normally would have been had she not been expecting William at her door. "I'm Lady Madge Sheldon, lady-in-waiting and first cousin to the Lady Anne. What's your name?"

"I'm Duchess Valera of Palma de Mallorca." The girl replied in her spanish Accent.

Madge's mouth gaped as she heard her title and she immediately swept herself into a curtsey. "Would you like to come in my lady?"

"Sure." Valera replied smiling. Madge moved away from the door and went over to the seats by the fire in her chambers. Valera followed her and sat down beside her.

"Would you like a drink?" Madge offered.

Valera shook her head. "I am alright right now, thank you."

Madge smiled back at her, not knowing what to say. She had hoped she would accept her drink offer so that their silence would not be as noticeable. "So, why have you come to the English court from Spain?"

"I have come to visit my cousin mainly. Do you know the Lady Nan?"

Madge nodded. "Yes, she is lady-in-waiting to Lady Anne with me. She is a very nice girl."

"Yes," Valera agreed. "She is. That is why I have come to see her! I miss her in Spain."

"And you like England?"

She nodded. "Oh yes. Spain is a very beautiful country but I have become, only over a short time, very accustom to England."

"That is good my lady. England can be a very beautiful country when it is not raining all the time. Many people seem to complain of that."

Valera laughed. "Yes, it does rain a lot doesn't it?"

Madge nodded, sitting back in her chair. Now she was out of conversation topics and she didn't want to be rude.

Luckily, Valera spoke again. "Are you excited for your cousin? She will soon be Queen of England, will she not?"

Madge smiled, wondering how Valera would know this but she assumed that Nan, will all her praise for the Howard family, would've told her right away. "I am full of joy for Anne! She makes the king very happy and pleases him well. My whole family is so proud of her."

"She is a very beautiful and intelligent woman." Valera noted. "As you probably know, my country is not a supporter of her, especially the Emperor. He is not very happy about the treatment of his aunt, Queen Katherine. I am here for Anne though, showing my support."

Madge thought about the Emperor and what she had heard of him. Like she had never met the King of England himself, she had also never met the Emperor, but she had heard that he was a very strong-willed man. She thought it wise not to make any comments since she did not know him. "Anne is even luckier to have a group of supportive friends and family around her. She is definitely the happiest woman in England."

"Definitely." Valera responded. "I have heard that she will be named Marquess of Pembroke soon!"

Madge had heard the same news only earlier that morning from Nan. She assumed that Nan had also told Valera, even though Anne had told her ladies in secrecy. "She seems to get luckier everyday."

Valera and Madge laughed for a moment in unison and then returned to their silence. This time, Madge broke it.

"Are you a married woman, my lady?"

She giggles and shakes her head. "No, I am not married but I would like to be very soon. Are you married?"

"No, I am not either." Madge replied. She thought of William for a minute, but tried not to let her thoughts wander off. "Do you wish to marry someone in particular? You talk like that is what you mean."

Valera looked down at her hands for a moment, her cheeks only slightly blushed, and nothing in comparison to Madge's when she was embarrassed. "My uncle offered me a man from Spain, but I rejected his offer. I want to find a man to marry on my own, someone who I love."

Madge nodded in agreement. She knew exactly what she meant as she felt the same way about marriage. "It should be your choice as you are the one who will live with this man for the rest of your life."

"Exactly!" Valera exclaims. "Has someone caught your eye, Lady Sheldon?"

Madge tilted her head in surprise. How did she know? "Well… yes, I suppose someone has."

Valera looked at her with curiosity. "And who is this man?"

Madge had not told anyone, not a soul, about her time spent with William. Was she that obvious? She knew gossip was common at court and that word spreads fast but she had not told anyone so no one knew, unless William had told someone. "He is William Francis." She replied, regretting her decision to say that moment after.

Valera gasped. "He is such a handsome man! Does he like you?"

"He tells me he does. Am I a fool to believe him?"

Valera shrugged. "I do not know him well my lady, but if you like him, do not stop your heart from having what it wants!" She winks at her.

Madge smiles back at her. "I suppose I will let my heart have what it wants then." She raised an eyebrow at Valera. "So who has caught your eye, my lady?"

"I like somebody." She admitted with a sigh. "But do not tell anyone okay?"

Madge nodded. She was very good at keeping secrets, hers or other peoples.

"His name is Christophe."

Madge's face was blank. She did not know who Christophe was. "Is he here at court? I do not know him."

"Yes he is. He is the Duke of Cornwall!"

"Wow…" Madge whispered. The duchess has worked fast while she was here. "And you plan to marry him? Is that who you spoke of before?"

"We will see Lady Sheldon, we will see." Valera suddenly stood up from her seat, Madge responding by rising too. "My lady, I must go see him now. I told him I would meet him the gardens and I had forgotten until now. I apologize; we will talk more another time."

Madge nodded quickly. "Of course, of course, go!" Madge walked over to the door, followed by Valera, and opened it for her. "Till another day, my lady." She curtseyed to her.

Valera nodded and bid Madge farewell, leaving the room.


	6. Secrets and Friendly Feuds

"I need to tell you something darling." William whispered in Madge's ear as she lay half-asleep on the bed. They were naked, covered only by the sheet on the bed.

"What is it?" Madge asked, not moving.

"I've told you before that I was not a virgin when we slept together."

"Yes, you did." Madge turned over and looked at him.

"It was true but I had only slept with one woman before you." He admitted. His tone was not shy, he was about to say something serious.

"Yes?" Madge did not understand what he was trying to say.

"Well, that woman was here at court, before you got here…" he trailed off for a moment. "I slept with Nan Saville."

Madge opened her mouth in shock. She was not mad; merely surprised that William had slept with Nan. She never really thought them to be each others type. "Did you like her?" She asked, her voice quiet. That's all she wanted to know, that she wasn't being used.

William shook his head very firmly. "Oh no. She used me. I thought I would begin to like her but she used me and then I met you and I realized whatever I thought I had felt for Nan, is nothing compared to what I feel for you. We have such a deep connection Madge; it's so different from anything else I've ever experienced."

Madge's eyes twinkled for a moment. He was so sweet with every word he spoke. "Oh William. I am not angry about you sleeping with another woman before me, even if it was Nan, my good friend." She smiled, how could she ever be mad at him? "Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

"No, there is a little more." He admitted. His voice was still serious but a little more timid this time.

She looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

"She is pregnant."

Madge blinked. She couldn't believe what she had just heard, but again, she did not find herself angry. It was not Nan or William's fault that this had happened and it had happened before she had met either of them. She looked at him with sympathetic eyes. "Oh my god." She murmured. "What will you do?"

He shook his head, his eyes were sad. "Nothing. She has told me that I used her and because of that, she will find a marriage and call the baby by another name and not mine. Tell the baby his father is someone who is not me."

Madge sat up a bit. "That's awful William."

He nodded glumly. "I know. I don't know what to do Madge. She is upset with me because I am with you now… she thinks I used her because I was with her one night and now all of a sudden I am with you but I didn't! I tried to tell her, what we have is so different." He looked at her. "What we have is more than anything Nan and I ever had. We slept together once and there was no connection, no nothing, just hormones. With you it is passion and so much more."

Madge was more than touched by his words, but she worried too much for the hurt he was experiencing to relish in her own happiness. "Oh William," she whispered. "I am so sorry. I never knew you were with Nan! She must hate me now; she must think I am a whore and an idiot, and not a good friend. It does not matter though; you deserve to see your child. Is she a hundred percent sure she is with child?"

"No, she said she was not sure." He said truthfully. "But should you not know when you are with child? Is it not obvious?"

She shrugged. "I would think so but then again, I would not know. I know nothing of such things."

William kissed Madge lightly on the lips and then rested his head on her stomach. She ran her fingers through his hair slowly, trying to soothe his pain. They fell asleep like this after a few hours of both laying awake, too much on their minds for them to sleep too easily. Madge did not look forward for the next day, as she knew she would have to face Nan and she could only imagine that, now that Nan knew, she would not be happy and kind like she once was to Madge.

* * *

The next morning, Madge went for a walk in the garden with Anne's new dog the king had bought for her. She enjoyed the peace, quiet and serenity she felt there and hoped that, when she returned to Anne's chambers, she would be able to avoid Nan somehow. She did not want to face her because truthfully, she had not known she was doing anything wrong.

Unfortunately, when Madge returned to Anne's chambers, she found that the only other person in the room was Nan. She entered and looked around, bending over to let the dog off its leash.

"Where are the Lady Anne and everyone else?" She asked, testing the waters. Maybe Nan would not be mad at her.

Nan was standing, looking out the window. She did not turn her head at the sound of the door, or at Madge's question. She merely stood, her yellow dress shimmering in the sunlight, her head facing away. "They are out on a hunt with the king."

Madge stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, the small spaniel jumping at her legs for attention. She ignored him and walked over to Nan. She stood behind her. Nan still would not turn. "Why did you not go?" she asked.

"I wished to catch you while you were alone, Madge." Nan said quietly. She turned around at last and nearly burned a hole in Madge's head with her gaze. "We must speak."

Madge looked at her curiously. "What would you like to talk about Nan?" She tried to act as if she didn't understand.

"You know exactly what I want to talk about!" She whispered in harsh tones.

"William?" she asked. "You know, I did not know that you two had been together before I met William."

"Sure you didn't." She snapped back. She did not believe a word Madge spoke.

"I didn't Nan! I do not lie to you; I do not lie at all! You would know, I am an awful liar myself as I was raised to always be honest and true."

Nan laughed. "Honest and true? I knew you were a Howard but I did not think you would act so fast! You have slept with a man who slept with me only days before! He played me, Madge! Who's to say he won't do the same to you?"

Madge shook her head, she would not believe that. "He would never. What William and I have is so much different from what you and he had. You had nothing. You slept together and that was the end."

"Have you slept with him?" She asked.

"It does not matter what we have done or have not done." Madge replied simply.

"You're right. I don't care what you do with him."

"You clearly do." Madge retorted. "Look, I am sorry if I hurt you Madge but I swear to you, I did not mean to. You were my first friend here at court, and I do not want to lose you."

Nan turned and looked out the window once more, heaving a sigh. She looked for a few minutes, watching the king, Anne and the rest of their party return from their hunt. "Lady Sheldon, I forgive you but you must be more careful. You are a Howard girl and you cannot afford to make such mistakes. What if William had been married or betrothed? You would have bedded with a married man? And even if you did not bed him, it is still bad! If your uncle, the duke hears news of this, you will certainly be punished." Madge became irritated by the way Nan spoke of her uncle, as if she were a Howard herself. "You just have to be careful, okay?"

Although Madge's annoyance was rising, she acted as if it did not exist when she responded to Nan, not wanting to anger her more and get another scolding. "Yes, thank you Nan. I will be more careful from now on."

Nan turned to her again with a satisfied smile on her face, as if she had one the battle. "Good. Now, we should go down and greet the Lady Anne. Come along Madge." Madge put on a fake smile and let Nan lead the way out of the room.


	7. The Ring

Over the next few months, Madge and William continued to spend time together, letting their relationship flourish. One evening, when it was snowing a lot, William and Madge went for a walk in the gardens. The snow protected them from being seen, so they were safe to be together in public.

"Madge, these past few months… they've been amazing." William told her, as they walked through the labyrinth. He had his arm around her waist and pulled her close. Both were in cloaks of heavy fur so that they would not be cold.

"I know." She agreed. "I've never been happier."

"You are my world." He told her, stopping her from walking. He held her shoulders. "I am in love with you Madge. I've known for awhile now but I felt that now, when we were alone in this beautiful weather, was the time I should tell you." He kissed her nose.

Madge's eyes filled with happiness. She felt warmer than before, fire lighting inside her heart that warmed her whole body. "Oh William… I love you too."

A grin spread across his face at her words. "Truly?" he asked, reassuring himself.

"Truly, you are my love. I told you, I've never felt this happy. When we are together, I feel warm and fuzzy, comfortable and passionate. You bring out so many emotions in me I never knew I had." She kissed him on the lips, holding his body close to her for more warmth.

"You are too sweet darling. You too, have made me happier than I have ever been. I cannot even begin to describe in words the way I feel for you." He enjoyed her kisses with his entire being. "I have something for you, my love."

She looked up in complete surprise. He had already given her an amazing gift, his love and he had told her and he had meant it. What could be better than that? "What is it?" she asked. Her mind wandered, but she did not think for a moment that it would be what it was.

William knelt down in the snow on one knee and placed his hands in the pocket of his cloak, searching for something. With his right hand, he found whatever it was and a smile appeared on his face. He looked up at Madge again; his knuckles tight as he held something, his cheeks blushed red. "I know we have not been together for very long, but these past few months and I say this completely honestly, have been the best months of my life. I do not lie when I say I have never been happier." He opened his hand, releasing a chain with a small ring tied to it. The ring was not of magnificent splendor, like one of King Henry's many rings, but it was still beautiful. "This is not an engagement ring, Madge; it is a promise ring, promising you to me. It was my grandmother's on my mother's side and I've worn it around my neck for much time. I promised my mother I would give it to someone I loved and planned to marry. You are that person Madge; I have no doubts in my mind. Do you accept my offer?"

There were no words to describe Madge's expression. She was shocked beyond all belief. "Oh my, William… really? It is for me?"

He nodded. "Yes it is and soon I will buy you an engagement ring. One that you deserve and that can fit your finger perfectly."

She was now even more shocked. Lots of girls got promise rings at court, but they were usually forgotten. William actually intended to buy her an engagement ring and marry her. "Yes!" She exclaimed suddenly. "Yes I accept your offer!"

He stood up immediately, wrapping his arms around Madge and lifting her up into the air as he kissed her on the lips. When he put her back down onto the snowy ground, he placed the chain around her neck. "Wear it on your neck. That way you can hide it from those who would oppose, like your uncle, but it will always be there, close to your heart, as you always are to me."

The necklace was cold on her chest. She thought it would feel nice once she was in the warmth of the palace, and she would certainly never forget its presence there, above her heart, for even a moment. "I don't even know what to say…"

He put a finger over her lips. "You don't have to say anything. As long as you are happy, I am happy." He removed his finger and kissed her.

"Oh, I am the most happy."


	8. A Royal Proposition

William and Madge went away for a few days, spending sometime at his family home. Madge met his entire family and they seemed to like her but she was unsure. The first night, William had fallen ill and for six days afterwards Madge had sat bedside with him, waiting for him to awake. His father had saved him using only petty tools and wrapped his wounds with only normal cloth. She had been so worried that he would not recover from the sweat, but he did and miraculously so.

They returned to Whitehall once William was able to walk without pain but they had to keep their relationship more hidden as they begun to hear the court gossip form around them about their relationship. Madge worried that her uncle would find out each and every day and waited in fear for him to call on her.

Weeks went by and he did not call upon her. Anne was named Marquess of Pembroke and then shortly after, married the king. Anne, the king and him had all danced the day Archbishop Cranmer had declared the marriage between the king and Queen Katherine null and void, and it had been a disturbing thing to see. Madge had never hated or disliked the queen, being she had never met her and she had only heard good things of her fame and popularity. Anne's coronation was then soon after and Anne truly was the most happy, as she claimed to be, as the new Queen of England. She was quick with child, giving birth nine months later to a beautiful baby girl, who was christened as Elizabeth. The fact that Anne's child was a girl did upset the king, but he blew it off saying they were both young and could easily conceive again. He told everyone to pray it would be a boy. The Duke of Norfolk prayed more than anyone else, and as soon as everyone blinked, Anne was pregnant once more and this time with what she knew to be a son. Madge only saw the Duke of Norfolk in the hall, where he was celebrating the son in Anne's belly and she started to feel as if he would never find out with Anne to distract him.

One afternoon, she sat writing in her room by herself, to her sister.

_My Dearest Sister, _

_I am sorry I have not written to you before now. It's been months, I know, and I apologized for that. I just have been so busy with our cousin, the newly named Queen of England. I wish I could have seen you after the coronation, but mother and father told me they did not allow you to come to the after celebration? That was completely unfair. They told me it was because you are betrothed and to be married to some viscount and that they do not want your eyes to fall upon any other man's. It is still unfair either way. You should've been allowed to come and celebrate your own cousin's coronation at Whitehall, as it is so beautiful here I cannot even begin to describe. _

_When I am not with the queen or the other ladies,_

She dropped her quill for a moment as he heard a knock at the door. At once, all her senses were alerted. He knew. She was going to be sent home.

She stood up from her seat and approached the door, waiting for someone to call.

"Lady Sheldon?" A voice beckoned.

Madge took a few steps back. She did not want to sound as if she were standing at the door; as if she were expecting her uncle to come knocking. "Yes?"

"I have a message from the Duke of Norfolk." It was one of his guards.

"Come in." Madge replied nervously.

The guard opened the door and entered the room. He inclined his head to Madge and then began to speak. "His Lordship, the Duke of Norfolk, would like for you to come see him, privately, in his rooms as soon as possible. Are you available to go now?"

Madge looked around the room. She could lie and say she was busy doing something, but eventually her uncle would find her. There was no way she could escape. "I am available to go if you would like to escort me, sir."

He nodded dutifully. "Of course my lady." The guard stepped back from the door to let her pass in front of him. She walked by him and he followed her, escorting her all the way to her uncle's privy chambers which were almost on the other side of the palace. When they reached the doors the guard knocked.

"Who is it?" Thomas's voice called.

"My lord, it is the Lady Sheldon comes to see you upon your request."

"She is prompt!" He called back, his tone joyful. Madge only feared him more because of this; he was excited to send her away. "Send her in."

The guard opened the door and inclined his head to Madge as she walked by him. The Duke was seated at his desk in the center of the room. He was busy with papers, busy with his quill. He did not look up immediately when Madge entered, instead he left her with a few moments of suspense.

"My lord uncle." She said curtseying to him, even though his eyes were on his desk. He looked up at the sound of her voice and eyed her. She curtseyed just as she had the first day she had met him.

Thomas stood up and walked around to the other side of his desk. He leaned on it, looking down at Madge, who he had not yet given permission to rise from her curtsey. "You are very good at that." He said blandly.

"Good at what, my lord?" She asked from below him. Good at sleeping with a man of no status? Good at being a whore? What was he going to say?

"That curtsey, that look. You could win any man over with just that." He motioned his hand, allowing her to stand. "You are wondering why I have asked you to come see me."

Madge nodded timidly. She had a hunch. "Yes, my lord uncle. It is a thought that has crossed my mind."

"You know that your cousin, the queen is with child yet again?" He asked, though it was somewhat rhetorical. Everyone knew this; it was very well common knowledge. Nonetheless, Madge was glad to hear that he did not mention William's name.

"Yes my lord uncle. I am aware that Her Majesty carries a prince in her womb."

A sly smile appeared on his face at the thought. A true Howard prince, one day to be on the throne of England was currently growing in the queen's stomach. He nodded. "The queen is worried because it is common knowledge that, while she is with child, the king takes a mistress, as any king would."

Madge was not sure how to respond to his statement. "Yes, my lord uncle? May I ask what this has to do with me?"

The sly smile remained on his face. "It has everything to do with you, Lady Sheldon."

She looked at him with a puzzled expression, not saying a word.

"Queen Anne told me she would feel more comfortable if the king bedded with someone of her choice, someone who was not looking to steal the throne from her, like a Seymour girl would." He looked at her seriously. "She has asked me to assign you to this position." He spoke of it as if sleeping with the king, being his mistress, were some sort of profession. She wished to slap him across the face, but she did not flinch or budge at all at his words. "Are you willing Lady Sheldon?"

"Willing to lay with the king? To be the kings mistress so that Anne is more comfortable while she is with child?"

"Yes, Lady Sheldon. You would be his mistress over the next few months while she is with child. You would have to keep his interests on you, flirt with him, lay with him. You are not married and you are young so he will be interested in your virginity." He explained, knowing the kings tendencies well. "I cannot have Queen Anne being worried and stressed throughout her pregnancy or else she will birth a stillborn and that will be useless to us! She must be calm and relaxed and for this to happen, you must be the king's mistress so that she does not have to worry about the safety of her throne and her grasp on the king. So, are you willing Lady Sheldon? I can't see why not."

I could, Madge thought. She could easily see why she would not want to bed the king for Anne's benefit. First of all, she loved someone else and was promised to him in secrecy. Second of all, if she slept with the king everyone would know and she would gain some new nickname like Lady Mary Carey had after she slept with the king. She could not imagine living her life being known as the great whore, but of course, she could not voice any of these objections to her uncle because it would be his way or the highway. She virtually had no choice, she would have to say yes or else she would certainly be sent off and married to some fat old earl or viscount of her father's interest. Her heart ached with pain as she thought about what she had to do. "Yes my lord uncle, I am willing to do your bidding, as you please."

He nodded in content and returned to the other side of his desk, taking a seat once more. "Very well Lady Sheldon, you have made a wise choice. You must throw yourself into the king's vision, gain his attention. I will help you in small ways when I can, pointing you out and such but perhaps he will notice you on his own as you are a beautiful Howard woman. You will begin as soon as you can, tonight preferably. The faster you can bed him the faster Anne will relax and the healthier the child will be."

Madge nodded obediently. What would she do now? She would have to tell William before she began flirting recklessly with the king, but would he forgive her? Would he understand the grasp her family has on her or would he be angered by it and tear the chain of her neck, swearing never to speak to her again? All these thoughts boggled Madge's mind. "As you wish my lord uncle."

He looked down at his papers for a moment, as if he was almost done with her. "Ah," he said, looking up at her once more. "Go bathe now. You are to be washed completely, head to toe and you must smell wonderful. Wear your best gowns tonight too."

Madge nodded, again, unable to object. "Of course my lord uncle. I will go bathe right away."

He nodded to her in silence, returning his gaze to his papers and shooing her with his hand.

She backed out of the room in a final curtsey, turning only once she was in the hall. She walked as quickly as she could back to her chambers. When she arrived, she found that her uncle had already sent two chamber maids to get her a bath ready. She had hoped that she would have had a few moments to herself in her room, but no. She did not have time to find William and tell him, or any time to finish her letter to Mary and tell her of this news. She was to be the king's mistress and she would have no free time from now until the time when Anne gave birth.


	9. Royal Pains and Pleasures

Bathed and ready, Madge headed down to the hall with the rest of the ladies in her best gown. She walked beside Nan, as they seemed to have somewhat reconciled with each other, although Madge felt that she was jealous of her.

"You look nice tonight Lady Sheldon." Nan pointed out. Madge was unsure whether to take her comment as a compliment or merely sass. "Are you looking to impress someone?"

Nan probably expected she had dressed like that for William, which she would have, but that wasn't the case in this situation. She shook her head. "I am not looking to impress anyone in particular my lady. I just thought that it was a good idea to dress well tonight and I shall start doing so every night for dinner."

"I suppose that's a good idea. The hall is always a good place to catch a man's eye." Nan stated with a jealous tone. She had met William in the hall and caught his eye his first night at court of course, she did not know that Madge knew this.

Madge smiled, trying to cover up her knowledge. "Yes of course." There now she was neutral. She was not with William to others nor courting the king. Perhaps the rumors would soon cease.

"The Queen!" A herald called as Anne and her ladies entered into the hall. King Henry sat up on at the high table, smiling at his wife as she entered. Anne knew better than this though. She knew that once she sat down and they spoke for a moment his eyes would begin to wander the crowd for attractive women. He would catch one in his gaze and when Anne retired early due to her pregnancy, he would call on the Duke of Suffolk, Charles Brandon, to fetch her for him.

The Duke of Norfolk had already informed Anne of Madge's acceptance, so Anne was much less worried on the inside than she had been hours before. As she took her seat at the high table, she gave a special nod and smile to Madge that only Madge caught. She smiled back politely, as if she were happy to be serving her queen and cousin, but truthfully, she was not happy at all.

Henry called for a dance and Madge volunteered immediately, which was much unlike her. She was a good dancer, she had been told, but she was never a fan of flaunting herself in front of the entire court. Now however, she did not have a choice. She could feel her uncles gaze on her as she walked out onto the floor, a few other girls with her, including Nan. She looked around for William for a moment, but she did not see him and she was relieved. She did not want him to see her like this before she had a chance to speak with him and explain.

The musician, Mark Smeaton, strummed the first note on his violin. The strum seemed to echo through the hall, ringing in everyone's ears and making Madge shift as she felt a shiver run down her spine. She was about to dance in front of the whole court but the only eyes she needed on her were the kings. She would have to dance at her very best, curving her body in all the right ways so that he would take notice of her and not the other ladies who he had seen dance a million times before. She had never danced in front of the king before, so she would be new to him and perhaps, like her uncle had said, he would find her.

As Mark continued to play, each girl on the floor began to dance with their male counterpart. Madge was with Henry Norris, one of Anne's close friends. He watched her body move as they danced with interest but Madge ignored him. She instead turned her attention to the king and she found that, as she did, they made eye contact. He had been looking at her and the dance had only just begun! She continued to dance at her very best and every time she had a moment she would swing her head back to see whether he was looking and each and every time she caught him and he knew it. One time, he even smiled at her and she smiled slyly back with a Howard smile. The whole thing, hurting her heart as it was, felt as if it were a game more than real life. She had to try her best to win his attention and she felt so joyous when he did. She did not know what had come over her as only an hour or so before she had been completely devastated by the idea and depressed because she would have to hurt William. She was still upset, still heartbroken because she didn't know how or when to tell him, or how he would react, but she was no longer as devastated. She had never met the king before, so she did not know how he was, she had only seen him act towards Anne and towards others from afar, and he always seemed very kind.

When the music finally ended the king applauded loudly, his eyes only on Madge and Anne and Thomas seemed to notice this right away because as Madge returned to the side of the floor, they were both looking at her as they chatted. Madge danced several other times that night, again able to keep all the king's attention on her without fail. He would applaud louder each time the music ended and continuously asked for an encore.

After awhile, Anne rose from her seat and announced to the king and everyone else that she would retire for the evening. Henry smiled at her, touching her tummy which had barely begun to show and kissed her on the lips. She smiled at everyone as she left the hall, all her ladies following her. Madge too, was on her way out but was stopped at the door by Charles Brandon. He inclined his head to her politely.

"My lady." He said, looking into her eyes now.

She curtseyed. "My lord."

"The king has requested that you play a game of cards with him tonight. Do you accept his offer?" Charles raised an eyebrow intriguingly at her.

"A game of cards?" She repeated his question. "My lord, I must help the Lady Anne into bed. She will be furious with me if I am not there to wait on her!"

Charles made a tut-ing sound under his breath, shaking his head. "I will tell the Lady Anne immediately that you are needed elsewhere for the night and I am sure that she will understand."

Madge looked at him with an innocent face, as if she were scared of being punished by the queen for such behavior. "If the king wishes to play a game of cards with me then, I will do as he pleases but please do go and tell the Lady Anne after you have escorted me where ever you must."

Charles nodded, tipping his feathered hat to Madge. "Of course I will my lady. Follow me now." Charles left the hall and Madge turned back to see the king still in his seat. His eyes were on her as she left and as they walked further down the hall, she could hear his booming voice announce that he too, was as exhausted as his wife and would have to retire early. The court did not object, or not in anyway Madge could hear.

Charles lead her towards the king's privy chambers and the guard standing there opened the door for her immediately. She turned to Charles once she entered the room with a puzzled look on her face.

"He will be with you shortly my lady. Take a seat and make yourself comfortable."

The door closed and Madge was alone in the king's chambers. She looked around the room with interest. She had only been in when Anne and Henry had dined together but she had never got to take a seat herself. She walked over to the small card table and took a seat, beginning her wait. The few minutes she had to herself were filled with worry. All her anxiety from before returned and she immediately began to wonder where William was and when she would have time to tell him. Would he look for her tonight? She did not know and it made her worry.

Henry did not take as long as she had expected though and her time alone worrying was soon cut short. He entered the room and did not need to look around to find her, she was the first thing he saw, seated so perfectly at his card table, her dark brown hair, much like Anne's, pulled back in a French hood covered in pearls. Her dress matched it, also emblazoned with pearls, along her sleeves and below her breasts. Henry smiled at her as he approached.

"My Lady Sheldon." He said, as he stood before her. Madge rose from her seat at full speed and swept herself into the most graceful curtsey she had ever done. She pushed her breasts out enough that they caught his eyes and looked at him in a way that made him take a step closer. Frankly, she was surprised by her own powers.

"Your majesty." She sang to him, her voice angelic in his ears. He motioned for her to rise and she stood up slowly, her height no where near his, and he was not an extravagantly tall man.

He placed a finger under her chin and turned her head up to him. "I am upset that I had not met you before tonight."

She batted her eyelashes at him innocently. "I am upset too, your majesty."

"Are you?" He asked, his eyes twinkling at her. He may have been a lot older than her and perhaps a little chubby, but he was a charming looking man when you got close enough. She tried to keep such thoughts out of her mind, focusing on William.

"Yes certainly, sire. I am said that, being at court for over a year, it took me this long to be noticed by the most handsome prince in Christendom. I find myself losing confidence because of this sire. I must not be good enough for the king's eyes, I thought."

He shook his head quickly at her. He moved his hand from her chin to her face, caressing it slowly. "My lady, I hope that you do not feel this way truly as you are quite wrong in your judgment. You are simply too good for my eyes and I could not bare before, in passing, to look at you because you shined so bright, but when you dance, oh my, when you dance my lady…" he trailed off for a moment, looking at her body as he thought of her dancing. "You are picturesque, you are perfect and I was at last able to see you, clear as day."

Madge found her self blushing and cursed herself in her mind for not being able to control it. She also wondered why she was blushing in the first place. Henry was the king, but he was not her love, he was not her William. "Your majesty…" Madge began, timidly. "You are too gracious and kind with your words. Certainly I do not deserve such praise; I am merely a lady-in-waiting to the queen and no one of extravagant beauty or importance."

He stroked her cheek with his thumb, as William often did. "You are very wrong Lady Sheldon. Is there any way I convince you that I believed you were the most beautiful woman on the dance floor this evening?"

Madge felt her cheeks become hotter and she wanted to slap herself for it. She knew how the king was, why did she find his compliments so appealing? "Your majesty, you are the king, I am sure you can find a way to convince me."

He chuckled. "You are right, and I will. Won't you sit down and play a game of cards with me?" He let his hand on her cheek slide down to her arm. He squeezed it gently.

"If it will please you sire, I will sit." Madge replied.

He smiled at her. "It would please me very much my lady." He pulled out the chair closest to her, allowing her to sit first. He then walked over to the seat on the opposite side of the card table and sat down.

"What would you like to play?"

"It is your choice of course sire. We will play whatever you like best."

"Post and pair it is." He replied, picking up the deck of cards on the table and beginning to shuffle them at a high speed. "Have you played post and pair before madame?"

Madge nodded. "Yes sire, Queen Anne taught us all how to play when I first arrived at court."

Henry did not shift at the mention of his queen; he merely smiled and nodded his head as he dealt the cards between the two of them. Both of them silently put in their stakes at post and then, after Henry dealt two more cards to each of them, they put in their stakes at pairs and then finally again at seat. They played several rounds of the game, but Henry won every time. Luckily, Madge did not have to try to lose because she was not very good at the game to begin with, which greatly pleased the king as he loved to win.

"Well, you played some good rounds my lady." Henry said as he picked the cards up off the table and put them back into deck formation. He then placed the cards to the side of the table. "Do you wish to retire?"

Madge was shocked she was being given the option, but she figured it was a trick. If she said yes, the king would lose interest in her and no longer look at her as he had that night and then Anne would become stressed all over again and her uncle would have her head. She took the wise road and decided to refuse. "No, I am not tired your majesty. You have made me feel much more awake and alive!"

He grinned at this. He liked to feel as if he was making people feel young, even though Madge was only seventeen and therefore did not need a reminded of her youth. "Then what would you like to do?"

Madge smiled slyly at him; she tried to add some seductiveness into her posture and expression too, but it was not real because he was not William. "Whatever pleases you your majesty. You should know I am only here to please you."

She had used the right words because Henry rose very quickly from his seat, and knelt beside hers. Madge was reminded of the time, not long ago, when William had knelt before her in the snow to give her a promise ring. Her heart trembled as she looked at Henry; she did not look forward to telling William of her new duty. "My lady," he cooed as he knelt before her, taking her hand in his. He kissed her knuckles one at a time. "Would you like a drink?"

Madge thought that a drink might make the whole situation more bearable. "I would love a drink your majesty."

He nodded immediately and stood up, about to walk over to the cabinet which held his liquor but he stopped. "If you feel comfortable my Lady Sheldon, I would like to go into my bed chamber. It's much warmer in there and now that I think about it, my good wine is in there and I want you to only have the best I can offer."

Madge nodded and stood up from her seat. "If that is the case, your majesty, then we should go to your chambers without hesitation."

He gave a sly smile in reply and motioned for Madge to follow him. Henry's privy chambers were of course attached to his bedchambers by only a small hallway. Guards stood at attention and salute to the king as he approached the doors and their eyes did not even rest on Madge. It was if she was not there, as if such actions from the king were completely normal and they were so used to it at this point that they were blind to newcomers. Henry walked by them, followed closely by Madge, and they entered his chambers together.

His bedchambers were much darker than his privy chambers had been. There was only just enough light for Madge to be able to guide herself safely through the room without bumping into anything. She tried to stay as close to him as she could as they entered the room, heading towards two seats near the fire. Henry led her there and then turned to a cabinet nearby to fetch his wine. He returned with a bottle and two crystal glasses in his hands and a grin on his face. He placed the glasses down on the small table between the chairs and poured them each a glass of red wine. He took his seat and picked up his glass in a toast to Madge. She quickly responded by raising hers in return, giving him a Howard smile.

"Will you give a toast Madge?" he asked invitingly.

She could not refuse and quickly off the top of her head she pulled something out which would hopefully make him happy. "To your soon to be son."

Again, she had said the right thing, which only seemed to make Henry keener towards her. "Ah!" He exclaimed as he raised his glass a bit higher. "To my son." He brought his glass to his lips and Madge did the same. She hoped that her large gulp of the wine was not noticeable to Henry; she just wanted some liquid courage. Luckily, he had taken a big enough gulp himself, loving the toast she had made, and had not noticed her mouthful.

Madge watched him under her eyelashes seductively. She sipped her wine slowly as he sipped his, his eyes gazing into Madge's. They were silent as they drank and stared at each other. In Madge's mind however, the wheels were turning and the phrase _be a comfort to His Majesty_repeated itself over and over in her head until she finally decided it was time. She was here to be his mistress for Anne's sake and he was clearly thinking of nothing but sex as he looked at her. If she wanted to make him more interested in her, she would have to bed him sooner or later, whether she wanted to or not. She just had to figure out how to start. With William it had been natural passion, she had not needed to do anything but with the king, it would be like putting on a show.

"Madge." Henry said, interrupting her thoughts as he placed his glass on the table.

"Yes your majesty?" Madge asked innocently, looking up from her drink.

"Do you truly think that I will have a son?" His tone was a little quieter than usual, his voice soft. Madge thought that he looked as if he needed a hug of reassurance, someone to tell him everyday that he would surely have a son by this wife if not by the last.

She nodded her head a few times. "Oh yes, your majesty of course. Anne is such a strong woman, she is very fit to carry a son and I could see her doing nothing but this."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "She had Elizabeth first."

"I know your majesty, but I know that she will have nothing but boys for you now. God has certainly seen how much you have gone through and he will give you a son by Anne, I know it." She realized she was giving him false hope and that if Anne did not have a son, he would probably be furious, but he would have been furious either way and she had done nothing more to stir the pot, only to cool it down a bit.

"You are right Madge. God has seen the trouble I have gone through with Catherine and that whole ordeal and now that I am finally with a new wife, who was not once my brother's wife, he will certainly reward me for my trials and tribulations." He smiled dimly at her. She still felt as if he needed a hug and she should be the one to give it to him.

She smiled back to him and took one of his hands gently in hers. His were so much larger than hers, but very warm and she grasped one of his hands with two of hers. "Anne will give you a son." She squeezed his hands with both of hers.

"Thank you Madge. You have made me feel much more hopeful about the situation." He took one of her hands with his and brought it to his lips for a kiss.

"Is there anything else I can do for your majesty? To comfort you while you worry for your child and wife's lives?" Pregnancy was a very difficult time for women and often a stressful time for husbands, who worried which would survive the birth, if only one, both or neither.

Henry still held Madge's hand to his mouth and he kissed it again, looking up at her. She looked back at him, her mouth open a little in a provocative manner. "I could think of one thing, Madge, that you could do for me. It would comfort me greatly…"

She raised her eyebrow, playing the fool. She had heard that he liked this act, the one of the poor lost maiden. "What is it your majesty?" Her tone was concerned.

Henry stood up and pulled Madge up with him as he did. He looked to his bed, but he did not say what he wanted directly, though she knew where they were going and what they were going to do. Her heart ached more than before and her stomach stirred uncomfortably. All she could think of was William at that moment, but she couldn't. All her attention and focus had to be on Henry or he would lose interest. She would have to force herself to want what they were about to do. "Will you over here with me and then I will tell you?"

Madge nodded. He was going to play a game with her and she was to act unsuspecting even though she had known since before she had even entered the room what was going to happen. "Of course your majesty." She replied, trying to act as if she was completely oblivious. He grinned back at her, so she must have been doing a good job at it, though she was not sure if that was a good thing or not.

Henry led Madge to his bed, holding her by the hand. He sat down and looked up at her. "Won't you sit with me Madge?" he asked, his eyes wide like a poor puppy dogs. She felt as if she was beginning to fall into the trap that she knew had been set for her; she had begun to feel bad for him.

"If that is what you wish me to do, your majesty." She sat down beside him on the bed, her hand still in his. She looked into his eyes and could almost see the desire burning within them. She felt unsure if he would speak again and wondered if it was time for her to make a move. There was little time to think about it, so she thought it best just to lean closer to him while she could, before he got bored of her.

With her movement closer to him, she looked down at their hands, entwined together. She batted her eyelashes slowly at him. Henry reacted immediately and took his free hand, tilting her head up by her chin to look at him. "Madge, my beautiful rose, what are you doing?"

Her cheeks went slightly red at the comment he had made. Beautiful rose? Did he really think she was beautiful? Oh no, here she was, falling into the trap again. She looked up at him under her eyelashes and saw him eyeing her cheeks with pleasure. "I wanted to do something, your majesty, but I do not think it is appropriate for me to do and the last thing I'd ever want to do is anger your majesty." She looked at him with innocent eyes.

Henry titled his head in confusion. "Madge, I don't believe you could ever do anything to anger me. You are too sweet to ever do something mean or bad."

Madge shook her head. "If it would not anger you, your majesty, then it would certainly anger Her Majesty and I am in her service and her cousin. The second last thing I'd ever want to do is anger her."

He looked back at her sympathetically, lifting her hand to his lips and kissed one of her knuckles softly. "My rose," he began, in the voice of a lover. "If you wish to do something you think would anger the queen, do it. It is only you and I here and I will not tell her of what you have done, as long as it is something I will like."

Madge opened her mouth a bit; hoping to look like she was considering the proposal Henry had just given her. She slowly closer her mouth again and bit her lip. "Are you sure, your majesty?"

He tilted her head up a bit more and looked down at her. "Yes Madge. I am sure."

Madge inclined her head for a moment and Henry dropped the hand that had been holding her head up to his side. She tugged the hand that held his over to her lap and released his hand, which slowly slid up to her waist. Her free hand went to one side of his face as she looked up at him, staring deep into his eyes, trying to see his very soul. She looked at his lips and slowly brought her head in towards his, placing her lips directly on his.

Henry did not take much time to react to this. He was quick to grab her by the waist and pull her closer to him and even quicker to press his lips against hers once more. Madge realized she had to move at the same pace as him to keep him interested, or even that she needed to be one step ahead of him. She pushed him playfully over on his back and got on top of him, kissing him passionately. One of her hands wandered to his trousers and began to undo them blindly.

Once they were undone, Madge kissed down Henry's neck, undoing his shirt as she went down his chest, and throwing it on the ground. She then continued to venture downwards towards his trousers, which she pulled off, looking up at him. The desire that filled his eyes was still present, fierier than before. Madge carefully kissed around Henry's masculinity to tease him as she ventured back up to his lips. Now it was his turn.

He was quick with his hands, as Madge had expected. He unlaced her dress much faster than William ever had and had it off and thrown far away on the ground in seconds. For a moment, he stopped kissing her and just admired her body. Had he not seen many beautiful women naked before? Queen Catherine when she was young, Bessie Blount and countless others, even her cousin Queen Anne, who was his queen and was most stunning. Why was he so enthralled with the sight of her body? Whatever the reason, she felt complimented by the look on his face.

"You are beautiful," he said suddenly, as he continued to eye Madge. "Did you know that?"

"Your majesty, I…" Madge began but he sat up and placed a finger on her lips, pulling her closer to him.

"Call me Henry, Madge, please." He said, almost begging her. The king was begging her to call him by his _first_ name and she was in his bed. The moment was so surreal that William was almost completely from her mind.

"Yes you- Henry." She said, correcting herself as she stumbled over her own words. She was too amazed that she was addressing the king by his first name; she could barely speak. "People have told me I was beautiful before."

He nodded, not surprised by this. "I would hope so. You should be reminded constantly, but has anyone been so blessed to see you naked? Nothing is more beautiful than this." He ran his hand down her chest to her belly button where he stopped. She could feel her legs shake nervously as she sat in front of him on the bed, knees beneath her. He sat up too, back now against the backboard of the bed.

She considered her answer thoroughly. His words had reminded her of William, whom she had only momentarily let drift from her thoughts. Her stomach turned over and she felt sick. _Stop it Madge, you can't back out. You have to do this. _She thought nervously. She swallowed quietly and smiled at Henry, looking down at his hand where it rested on her stomach. "No one has ever been so blessed but you." She knew the king was known to like maid's better than those who had been used and abused. With this lie, she would be a maid; _his maid_ and it would be much easier to hold his attention like that.

He kissed her neck and chest. "You are a maid, my rose?" She could hear the happiness and excitement in his voice as he spoke. He had expected her to be a maiden, but he had to make sure.

Madge nodded timidly. "I am."

He looked up at her seriously. "And you wish to give your maidens head to me?"

She nodded again, biting her lip. "If I could dream of giving it to one person Henry, it would be you. I did not think I would ever be faced with such an opportunity."

He smiled softly at her, caressing her cheek with his hand. "My rose, if that is what you dream of, then I can make your dream come true. Do I have your permission?"

"You need not ask it." She replied simply as she fell into his arms. Henry kissed her lightly on the cheek and turned her over so that he was over top of her. He was so gentle with her and it made everything feel more passionate than it really was. He kissed her on the lips against, putting his tongue in her mouth with skill. She could understand why he was the king, indeed!

"Do you feel ready?" He asked her as he kissed her breasts, tonguing her nipples to tease her. It reminded her of William but she shut that part of her brain off and focused on Henry.

Madge looked down at him, feeling pleasure as he fondled her breasts. "I've never felt more ready."

He looked up at her once more and smiled, kissing her breasts each one more time before he sat back on his knees. He ran one of his hands down from her foot, to her inner thigh and then to her femininity. He rubbed her with two fingers first, teasing her a bit and then removed his hand without entering her with it. She could feel her heart beating rapidly and found herself looking to him with fire in her eyes, though it was very much a physical attraction. He took both her legs with each of his arms and pulled himself between her legs. He held her legs much like a wheelbarrow as he entered her and she squished her face funnily, as if she were in pain. For a moment she watched him to see if he believed her and when he was fully in her, she realized she had tricked him. She still felt like a maid to him and this made her feel relieved, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Henry continued to be gentle as he moved back in forth into her, but as his desire increased, he was a little sharper with his thrusts. Madge had to pretend that the deeper he went, the little bit more painful it was for her, as she was a maid to him, but realistically, through her fake grunts of pain, it felt good. She knew Henry was king and that a lot of women slept with him merely for that reason, but good God, he was great at this! Even going as slowly and as carefully as they were, everything was amazing. Madge tried to make everything feel amazing for Henry too, thrusting back when she could, though mostly she had to seem unknowing and in pain.

Henry flipped her in a few different positions she had not before, but he was always gentle and so careful with his movements. By the end though, he quickened his pace, her sitting on top of him, her legs wrapped around his body and thrust as deep as he could into her. She moaned with pleasure and pain, wrapping her arms around his neck so her moans could be heard in his ear. That little movement had put him over the edge and he screamed with pleasure as he finished. He eased out of her, picking her up with his arms and putting her on the bed beside him, as if she were weightless to him. He turned towards her, his breathing fast and heavy and looked her in the eyes as she lay facing him.

"I did not hurt you, did I?" he asked, stroking her cheek.

She bit her lip. "You didn't hurt me much." She said, laughing a bit so he knew she had felt some pain.

He continued to stroke her cheek. "I hope that it was not much. The last thing I'd want to do is hurt you, my little rose."

She smiled at him and moved a bit closer. He wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. "Are you tired?" he asked.

"Perhaps." She said, leaving her answer with open ends. She didn't want to say she was and then have him get angry.

He laughed at her guard. "Madge, I'm asking you because I am but it would be rude for me to sleep while I have a guest, don't you think?"

She laughed at herself this time and at her stupidity. She should have known he was not testing her now because he was pleased. She had more free will now and he would agree with what she said because she had pleased him. "In that case, I am exhausted. My body aches with pain and pleasure all at once! I have never felt like this before."

Henry smiled at her and brought her closer to him, kissing her forehead. "The pain will leave and soon, all you will remember is the pleasure. Next time we lay together, it will be all pleasure, I promise you that." Madge's heart jumped a little at this. _There was going to be a next time? _"For now though, my rose, we will sleep." He kissed her again, this time on her nose and then moved his head on the pillow, finding a comfortable spot. Madge turned over and faced the other way, Henry hugging her close to his naked body that lay beneath the thin shits on the bed.

As she lay there, Madge felt tears coming from her eyes. She tried not to cry; as she did not want Henry to hear her if he was still awake. Tears merely rolled down from her eyes onto her cheek and then onto the pillow where they formed a damp circle. She was crying because she had just slept with the king, not the man she loved. She had enjoyed bedding with another man, who was not the man she loved, or the man she had promised her heart to. Right now, William could be waiting for her in her rooms and she was in bed with the king. She had not even told William that she had to do this for them, as she had not had a chance to run and find him after her uncle had told her of her new duties.

She would have to break the news to Will tomorrow and he was going to devastated, angry and maybe even heartbroken. She would have to tell him over and over again that there were no feelings between her and the king and that she had only accepted the position because she had to and because she knew, if she did a good job and kept the king's attention while Anne was with child, that she could be rewarded with her freedom; her freedom to marry whomever she wanted and that would only benefit the two of them.

Madge forced herself to stop thinking and worry of William's reaction to the situation. She quieted her mind and closed her eyes tight, forcing herself to sleep, Henry's arms still wrapped around her.


	10. A Gift for a Guilty Conscience

Madge did not return to her chambers early the next morning. She walked alone, through the halls, a cloak the king had given her wrapped around her body with the hood up.

She entered her room, planning on getting right back into her bed, when she found William, sitting in a chair by the fire, looking weary. His weariness disappeared as he heard the door shut behind her and stood up immediately, acting as if he were not tired at all.

"Where were you?" He asked, looking at her with concern. "I was worried."

Madge's heart ached a little at his words. If he was worried already, things were only going to get worse from that point on. Madge looked up at him sheepishly, her eyes wide. For the first time ever with William, she felt speechless. She had never felt like this before around him and the time had come at last.

He looked at her with concern, approaching her and touching her shoulder with his hand comfortingly. "Tell me love, what's wrong? Where were you?"

She could not bear to have him touch her in a caring way. She felt like she had betrayed him on all levels, so she took a step back and looked at the ground, a tear falling from her eye. "I was…." She began, trying to speak though it was a struggle. "Not in my chambers last night."

William chuckled to himself. "I know you weren't, as I was here waiting for you and you never came to bed. Where were you? Did you get hurt? Did someone hurt you?" Now he was getting the completely wrong idea. _No Will, no one hurt me but I'm about to hurt you. _She thought uncomfortably. Finally she could not hold it in any longer; she had to tell him where she had been.

"William," she began, finally finding the words. "I was with the king."

He raised his eyebrows in confusion. Apparently this was not enough information for him. "Doing what all night?" After asking this, his expression shifted and he looked away for only a moment. When he turned back to Madge, he looked nervous, unsure; had she slept with the king? His eyes looked weary. "Did you…" he began, not needing to finish his sentence. He knew Madge knew what he was talking about because she _had_ done what he had thought she had.

She looked up at him, now with more tears rolling down her cheeks. She nodded timidly and began to cry. "Not by choice Will. Can I have a chance to explain what happened?"

William felt hurt, more hurt than he had ever felt before. He shook his head glumly. "Do you think you deserve one?" He asked.

Madge continued to cry, looking up at Will, her cloak still wrapped around her. "Yes, frankly Will, I do." She wiped her tears with her sleeves. "If you could just listen to me…"

He shook his head continuously, as if trying to block out the sound of her voice. "Maybe I will listen to you, but not right now Madge. I've waited here all night for you and you didn't come back because you were _sleeping_ with another man! I can't even bear to look at you right now, nonetheless hear your explanation for your faults. I just need to go for a walk and have some time alone and I'll think about hearing your explanation while I do, okay?" He did not wait for her to reply, he stormed past her and out the door, slamming it heavily behind him.

Madge's tears did not cease once he left. She sunk to the ground and put her head into her hands and balled. She had just cheated on her fiancée and then broken his heart because of her duties to her family and to the king. She could understand why William could not bear looking at her, as she could barely look at herself. She felt disgusted with her own skin, as if it were no longer her, as if the skin that she bore belonged to someone else. She knelt there, crying, for hours, until she was forced to get up when she received a letter from her uncle.

The servant knocked on the door and pushed the letter underneath it before he walked away. Madge heard the knock and turned unwillingly to look, seeing the letter lying flat on the ground. She sighed and crawled over to it, seeing her uncle's seal on the outside. She tried to contain herself, standing up and walking the letter back to her bed where she could open it and read it more comfortably.

She opened the seal of the letter carefully, revealing its content.

_Lady Sheldon, _

_I hope to see you before dinner tonight. I want to hear of your encounters with the king, though I have seen him already this morning and the grin he bears is much an indication of how much he enjoyed his night. Please come to my chambers an hour before dinner so that we may discuss what needs to be discussed. _

_Thomas Howard_

_Duke of Norfolk_

Madge read the letter, trying to remain as calm as possible as she reminded of her night and the results of it she had faced in the morning. She knew she would have to push by her feud with William as if it were nothing for now. Her focus would have to be on the king and nothing else. Plus, she had faith in William's good heart. After he cooled down, he would at least hear her side of the story and take it into consideration when he decided what his next step was. She would at least have to believe that he would for now. Knowing that she would have to be ready soon, Madge called a maid to set up a bath for her so she could bathe and dress in time to be able to go see her uncle before dinner.

She bathed as fast as she could and then chose another of her nicer dresses to wear for the night, though it was not as nice as the one she had worn the night before and this worried her a bit. What if the King was not as impressed by her outfit? What if she did not look as good as she had to him the night before? She felt stupid for worrying about these details, but with the King, they were all important. She felt herself longing for William. It didn't matter what she wore around him, it could be any old thing and he still loved her. _Maybe not anymore… _she thought for a moment, but then she cleared her mind of all thoughts involving William and focused herself on the task at hand; the King.

Once she was ready, her hair done and her hood on so that the front of her dark tresses showed just the perfect amount, she left her room and headed towards her uncle's. On her way there she saw William in the hall ahead of her with a woman; it was Nan. Madge wasn't surprised to see them together, as Nan was of course, still pregnant with his child. She took a deep breath in and walked by them both smiling to Nan and then to William, though by the time her eyes moved to William, she had become a bit nervous and her smile, a bit lopsided. Nan looked back at her with a smile that made her bones chill and William looking back at her lost, no smile upon his face. Madge tried to make nothing of it. They were just talking; William wasn't interested in her, as always.

She reached her uncle's chambers and knocked on the door. A guard opened it for her and she entered, immediately curtseying to her uncle who as usual, was sitting at his desk with hundreds of papers in front of him.

"Lady Sheldon." He said, without looking up from his papers. "You are on time. That is good, the King likes when people are on time, as do I."

Madge smiled at him and rose from her curtsey. "Thank you, my lord uncle. I try to be on time all of the time, as Her Majesty also likes it."

He looked up to her and met her gaze, lifting his hand and shaking a finger to her. "No need to call her that here, Madge. Anne is fine."

"Yes, my lord uncle." She replied obediently.

"Now," he said as he stood from his seat and walked over to the other side of his desk. "Things with the King went well?"

Madge nodded. "Yes." She replied shortly. She didn't really want to go into detail with her uncle.

"He seemed pleased, I thought it had to be for a good reason. How many times did you lay together?" He asked, as if it were a simple how are you type question.

Madge smiled nervously. "Only once, my lord."

He nodded. "Then it must have been very pleasing if he had such a large grin on his face after only bedding you once."

Madge was not sure whether she should reply or not, so she chose to remain silent and nod.

"You cannot be shy, Madge. You're going to have to get used to me knowing of things, and everyone, for that matter. Your personal life is far from personal now, understand?"

"Yes, my lord." She replied unwillingly.

"Good." He replied, turning around and walked again to the other side of his desk. "Now, the King has sent you a surprise. I thought to have it delivered to your chambers, but since you were coming here anyway, I kept it."

Madge raised her eyebrows in surprise. A present already? Had she deserved that? "He has given me a gift, my lord?"

"Don't seem so surprised girl, of course he has. You have given him a gift of your own, your virginity. Why should he not return the favour? He is the King." Thomas retorted. He looked to one of his men who stood idly in his Howard uniform near the door. The guard walked over to another desk in the room and picked up a small sack and a gown. He presented it to Madge and stood beside her.

Madge examined the gown. It was beautiful, more beautiful than any gown she had ever owned in her life. It was stitched so perfectly with pearls encrusting it's neckline and sleeves and the colour was absolutely fabulous; a beautiful emerald green. She smiled to herself as she looked at it; it was not often she received gifts as she never expected them from William, nor cared, but now that she had finally received one, even if it was from the King and not her love, she felt content.

Madge grinned as she looked the gown over once more and then handed it to the guard, who remained standing beside her with it in his hands. Next she opened the small sack. Inside of it she found a pearl necklace with a gold chain and a emerald pendant, that went well with the gown, attached to it. She touched it carefully and smiled up at her uncle.

He did not smile back he merely watched her touch the jewels and examine the gown in silence. "I think it would please him very much if you wore his gifts tonight, so I advise that you do so."

Madge nodded, for once she agreed, she wanted to wear her gifts, to show them off in all their splendor, though she knew one person would not appreciate this, if he even bothered to show up to dine and dance that night; William. "Of course, my lord uncle. I will go change in to the new gown right away and I will wear the necklace too. I want nothing more than to please His Majesty in all the ways I can, while Anne cannot."

Thomas nodded sternly. "I hope that Anne will find herself pleasing the King in some months time, because if she does not…" he paused for a moment, thinking. If she did not deliver a son, an heir, to the King, what would happen? "She may find herself very out of His Majesty's favour."

Madge heard his words, though she knew they meant more than they seemed. It meant that the King could discard of Anne as he had Catherine before her and with much less difficulty this time. Madge crossed herself and curtseyed to her uncle. She didn't want to venture more into that subject; Anne would have a son this time. "My lord uncle."

"Lady Sheldon." He said, taking a seat in his chair once more and returning his eyes to his papers. "See you at dinner."


	11. The Wife and the Fiancée

Dinner went by quicker than usual, as if the king was keen to get to the dancing tonight. He ate quickly and everyone followed him in doing so, entering onto the dance floor shortly after with bloated stomach's.

Henry remained in his seat and called for the first dance, clapping his hands together to initiate it. The musician's reacted immediately, beginning to strum notes on their lute's and the choir preparing to sing. Henry smiled and averted his attention almost immediately to Madge. Anne watched from beside him, a slight scowl on her face, as she was so easily jealous. She knew, deep down, that it was better a cousin of her own blood than a Seymour girl, catching the king's eye.

Before Madge went to dance, she looked carefully around the hall, not seeing William anywhere once again. She sighed slightly and then plastered a smile to her face and went onto the floor. All the girls appeared to be with partners so she walked to the end of the line and found hers; William. Her face was shocked and she froze for a moment as she reached him, not sure what to do. If she didn't dance the King would be disappointed and so would her uncle; she would certainly be punished for such behavior and with no explanation for it too.

She placed her hand in William's as he held it out for her, looking at her with wide eyes, taking in her gown and new necklace with a furrowed brow. Madge looked away from him, a smile on her face to please the king.

"I don't need to ask who bought you those." William said, facing forward, a faulty smile on his face too. They began to dance with the rest of the court.

"No, you don't." She said shortly. She didn't know why she felt so mad at him, when really it should be him who was furious with her, but she couldn't help but be snappy with him. She had tried to tell him and looked to his comfort in a time where she was unable to make her own decisions, and he had left her standing alone in her room, tears down her face.

William looked at her with surprise. "Are you mad at me?" he asked.

She thought for a moment. "No." She walked around him as part of the dance, looking into his eyes. "I'm not mad at you, I'm just…"

"Hurt?" He whispered, looking down at her out of the corner of his eye. "Do not say hurt, because you don't even know what hurt feels like." She could hear the pain in his voice. She already knew she had hurt him so badly, but he had hurt her in a way too, by leaving her to deal with this on her own. It had not been her choice to do what she had done, as it had never been. Since her birth she had been under the control of her family and more specifically, her uncle. William was her first independent decision, and she had screwed it up and lost him.

"I am so sorry Will," she whispered back, still trying to keep her eyes up and to the king. He smiled at her for a moment and then eyed William with suspicion. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

He chuckled to himself. "You didn't mean to?" He shook his head slightly, noticing the king's eyes on him and Madge when he lifted his head. "Sure, Madge, sure. If you didn't mean to hurt me, why do you continue to do so? I can see the King's eyes on us and it feels like a dagger in my heart. He is jealous of me because I am dancing with his mistress!" He let out a laugh again, as if he found the whole situation funny. Madge frowned a little, unable to keep a smile on her face.

"Why are you acting like this Will?" She said quietly, though her voice was no longer a whisper.

Will turned to her as part of the dance. "Because I love you and I am going to lose you and I can't do anything about it! Because you have betrayed me and slept with another man when we were betrothed! Because you have broken my heart!" He whispered violently. He suddenly stopped moving and dropped her hand. "I do not deserve this treatment."

Everyone's eyes fell on them and Madge could feel her cheeks go red. No one could hear what William had whispered until his last words, and they could be interpreted anyway. He stormed away from her, leaving the hall and the music stopped. Madge was left standing alone and she didn't know what to do. She looked up to the King, who's face was stricken with concern and confusion and then to her uncle, who raised an eyebrow at her curiously, though somehow did not appear angry. Madge apologized to the other dancers and walked off the floor, holding back her tears.

She decided to try and sneak away from the hall, but on her way out someone grabbed her arm and turned her back around. "Where are you going to run to, Madge?"

She turned around and found Henry, holding onto her arm. He had snuck away from his seat and walked by everyone to stop her from leaving the hall. He smiled at her as he looked down at her, concern still in his eyes. She looked around the hall for a moment, to see if everyone was looking at them, but no one seemed to be paying much attention, as they were lost in the crowd and sort of in a hidden corner, which Madge had tried to sneak by to get to the door unnoticed. "I don't know your majesty."

He released his tight grip on her arm and frowned. "What did that man say to you? Why was he so angry?" He stroked her arm slightly and it was surprisingly calming.

"He has told me that he is in love with me, your majesty. He wishes to propose to me and make me his wife, but I have told him that I am under my lord uncle's command and yours, and that I would not marry him unless I was bid to do so. He knows that I am your mistress, and this angers him." She lied quickly, trying to think of a reasonable situation. Realistically, it was as close to the truth she could get without telling him that she was not a virgin and was already betrothed to William.

Henry smiled and let out a laugh. "He loves you, my rose? From afar?""

Madge nodded. "Yes, your majesty."

He continued to chuckle. "Do you love him, Madge?"

Madge shook her head. _Yes._ She thought. "No, certainly not your majesty! I do not know him well enough to love him and I have never loved before."

Henry nodded, still rubbing her arm with his thumb. "Then forget that it happened and I will make sure that everyone else does. Do not feel embarrassed my rose, there is no reason for it." He touched her cheek with his hand and smiled at her. "Shall we dance?"

Madge felt a little better thanks to his words. "If you wish to, your majesty, I would never refuse such an offer."

He took her hand and began to lead her out to the floor. Madge stopped him for a moment; though she was surprised she had done so at all.

"What is it?" he asked, feeling her heavy tug on his arm.

"Won't Her Majesty be angry that we are dancing together?" She asked. Truthfully, she was a little worried about Anne's reaction. Him staring at her was probably the most she could handle.

He laughed again. "I do not care much for what Her Majesty thinks, Madge. She had disappointed me so she should be much more worried about herself than you. Do you understand?" His tone was a bit more serious by the end.

"Of course, your majesty. I just would not want Her Majesty to be angry with me…" She admitted shyly, looking up at him under her eyelashes. Henry's heart softened to her and he smiled again, placing his hand back on her cheek.

"Madge, I will not let that happen. Do not worry. Just come and dance with me. I am the King of England! I will dance with whomever I would like." He took her hand once more and finding no objections this time, Madge allowed him to lead her out to the center of the floor.

Henry called for a new song to start and he took Madge's hand in his, kissing it, even before his Queen's eyes. Madge could feel Anne's hawk eyes on her back the entire song, as Henry spun her around, touched her chin and held her hip. As the song came to an end, Anne stood up from her seat and announced that she was retiring. She rested her hands carefully on her stomach, blew a kiss to Henry who reluctantly returned it, and left the hall followed by her ladies, with the exception of Madge, who was evidently once more, excused from her duties.

Madge's eyes had drifted with Anne's walk as she had left the hall, and her eyes stood still on the door as she became dazed. Henry quickly awoke her from this, looking at her with concern.

"Don't mind her." He basically ordered.

Madge nodded, turning her attention back to the king. "I know, your majesty." She couldn't help it though. Now not only was Nan mad at her but William and Anne too. There was no one left at court that she could call a true friend anymore and she sighed a little as she realized this.

He looked at her sympathetically, not meaning to sound so orderly. He hated that she was so distracted by Anne's jealousy; he liked when her focus was on him. "I think we should leave the hall, don't you?" he asked, trying to give her a chance to state her opinion.

Madge looked around. Nobody was looking at them directly, but she knew they must all have been staring out of the corner of their eyes. She nodded as she turned back to Henry, beginning to feel uncomfortable; she wasn't the best at being center of attention. "If that's what your majesty wishes, then yes, I would like to leave."

He nodded and took her hand, kissing it once and then holding up a finger to her, indicating that he would be right back and he wished for her to wait. Madge of course, did not plan to go anywhere, and she stood in the same corner of the hall, quietly by herself awaiting his return.

Henry returned quickly after announcing he would be retiring. He called Charles Brandon to accompany him, though Madge was not sure why.

"Your majesty, my lord." She said, inclining her head to each of the men as they approached her.

Henry smiled, looking from Charles to her happily, as if he was proud that she was his and wanted to make Charles feel jealous of them, even though the duke was married to a woman he appeared to love.

"My lady." Charles replied with a soft smile, he then turned to smile at the king, to make him feel proud. Henry inclined his head to Madge and smiled.

"My lady." He said, chuckling a little as he took her hand to kiss it again.

Madge blushed a little, naturally, unable to control herself as usual.

"She's a fine maiden, isn't she Charles?" Henry said, turning to Charles again, a smile on his face that was directed to Madge. His eyes wandered to her every few seconds.

Charles looked to Madge and smiled, though it was more of an apologetic smile. He didn't like to treat women this way. "Indeed she is, your majesty."

Henry looked back to Madge and then to Charles again. "Well then, if you could go see that my wife is not too angry with me, or with the Lady Sheldon, I would be grateful Charles. I can't have her being all upset when she's carrying a Prince of England around in her belly! I'll have nothing threaten my boys life, especially not her foul temper." He patted Charles on the shoulder, showing him he trusted him with the job.

Charles inclined his head to the king. "I will go right away. Enjoy the rest of your night, my lady, your majesty." He inclined his head to both Henry and Madge and then left the hall, walking at a steady pace.

Henry came a bit closer to Madge and took both of her hands in his. "There, everything with Anne is dealt with, you need not worry your little head about it." He kissed both her hands. "We will leave now."

Madge smiled back at him, truly thankful for what he had done. Yes, Anne had been the one who requested her to keep her husband entertained, but she had clearly not thought about how jealous she would become over time, even if she knew Madge wasn't after her title. It would be hard for anyone to watch his or her lover be with another person. She gulped a little at the thought, thinking of William; him and Anne were much in the same boat. William had to watch as Madge danced for the King, held his hands and stared at him as if she longed for nothing more than his touch. Anne had to watch as her own cousin, who was nobody of importance in comparison to herself, took her husband, the King, away from her. What they both also had in common was that they could do nothing about it. Anne and William could say nothing; they had the same rights in Henry's eyes and neither of them could over rule his power and will. He was the King of England and if what he wanted was for Madge to be his mistress, then no one in the world could change that except him.


	12. Lose Yourself

Just over a week later, Madge was sitting in her room, going through her clothes. She had received over ten new gowns from the king in less than ten days. She had too many necklaces to count, and she had even received a new riding habit from the King, which he had insisted she wear the next morning, when they were to go riding.

She hadn't seen William since their incident in the hall. He had become a professional at avoiding her and she found herself often missing his company, his touch, and his voice. She thought of him many times a day, mostly when she was with the King and she missed him most. When she would return to her room in the mornings, she wished that he was there to take her into his arms and comfort her, but he wasn't and he may never be again.

She sighed and continued to examine her new gowns, taking in all the fine detailing. The dresses were worthy of a princess or even a queen, not of her. She had to admit she felt complimented by the gifts and did like them a lot, but she would have been happy with or without gifts if she were with William because he made her happy on his own.

Out of nowhere, her door creaked open a tad and Madge looked curiously to it from her bed. Was someone spying on her? She would have bet it was Nan, spying for Anne to see if she was in her room, or in the king's. She stood up and walked quietly over to the door opening it wide and looking straight into the face of the perpetrator.

"Will?" She said once she realized she was most definitely not looking at Nan. "What on earth are you doing?"

Will stood just in front of her, staring past her into the room. He then looked down at her. "Can we talk?"

Madge looked down the hall both ways and then sighed. "Yes, but you should come in, quickly." She stepped back to allow him to pass her and then she followed, closing the door tightly behind her.

Will stood in the middle of Madge's room looking around. Madge took a few more steps into the room and looked at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Well if you want to talk, let's talk then." She said. Her voice still sounded angry but she couldn't help it. She was feeling alone, as she was sure he was too. Part of her wanted to yell at him and the other part wanted to apologize over and over and then kiss him and hug him till he could not hold back any longer.

Will looked at the ground for a few more seconds before looking up to her with eyes so sad she could see the hurt in them. Again, she felt the urge to apologize, but she resisted. She wanted to hear what he would say first. "You know, you hurt me a lot."

She looked up to his eyes. "I know, but it wasn't my fault… you know I don't have any choice over what I do. My family, or more so, my uncle, controls my life. If I had objected to his offer that day I would have been shipped off to a nunnery and we would have never seen each other again! Personally, I thought this was the better option, but you can correct me if I'm wrong."

Will averted his eyes to the ground. Part of him was angry with her, but most of him knew she was right. She was not like him; she didn't have the gift of free will at her fingertips. Instead, she was merely a pawn in the game of chess that her parents and uncle played. They controlled her every moves and if she objected, she would be vanquished from the game in its entirety, taken right off the board. If she had objected like she had wished to do with all her heart, she would have been sent to a nunnery and gone suddenly missing from Will's life without explanation. He looked back up to her and took a few steps towards her. "You're not wrong." He said, weakly. He was still fighting a bit with the other side of his mind. He heaved a deep sigh and then again, took a few steps closer to her. They were now about an arms length apart. "I was being an idiot."

Madge opened her mouth a bit and then shook her head. "No, you weren't. I did hurt you; you were acting the way you should have. I wish I could have said no to my uncle, Will, but I couldn't have. This was my only reasonable option."

Will frowned a bit. He didn't find the plan of action very reasonable but he did not argue. "Well, then if I wasn't being an idiot, I at least over reacted… a lot and I'm sorry for that. I realize now that I shouldn't have run away from you when you told me. I should've stayed and helped you, helped both of us, get through it and that's why I'm here now. To apologize for my prior behavior and to fix things with us, so we can get back on track, where we left off." He smiled a little and took her hands in his. His warm hands immediately put a smile on Madge's face and she looked down at the ground, blushing a little.

"I forgive you for before, as long as you forgive me," she said, still looking at the ground.

"Are you kidding?" He asked, his smile growing. "Of course I forgive you and from now on, I'm going to help you too." He stroked her hair, looking at her longingly. It had been so long since the last time they had touched, truly touched. Madge returned his look of longing, smiling at him too. "Are you okay?" he asked, still stroking her head and hair.

The question he asked her was so simple, yet so deep, and confusing. Was she okay? Over the past little while she hadn't taken much time to really sit down and ask herself that question. Her thoughts had distracted mainly by the king. She hadn't had time to think of much else, and when she had, she had thought of William and her longing for him. "I don't know…" she answered honestly. "I haven't really thought about it."

William looked at her with concern. "You haven't had a moment to think about your own well-being?"

She shook her head, her lips pursed as she thought. "Not really."

He didn't even reply. He pulled her in, closer to him, and wrapped his arms around her body as tightly as he could, as he continued to stroke her hair. "Oh, my Margaret…" he said. The fact that he said her whole name took Madge by surprise, but she enjoyed it. No one had called her Margaret since she left home. "I should never have left you to do this on your own. Now you've lost yourself…"

Madge embraced Will back, but did not say a word. _What does he mean you've lost yourself? I am still myself, certainly? Aren't I?_ Not even her conscience could answer that question. She buried her head in Will's shoulder. "Oh William… I need to put an end to this."


	13. No Escape

Though Madge wanted nothing more than to end things with the King, she knew there was nothing she could do to escape him. He was the King after all and she would have no reason for him to stop bedding her. They had slept together now, more than Madge had slept with William, her true love, and she couldn't even begin to imagine how hard that was for William to know, but he stood by her now, and she was so grateful to him.

Madge continued her affair with the king as her uncle ordered her to. It had been almost five months now, and she was beginning to tire of it, of course she dared not reveal that to the King or her uncle. Anne was furious with her still, which she had expected, and told her she no longer needed her in her service.

"All this, this whole situation, it's been making me feel so ill!" Madge told William one night. He only ever came to her room late at night now, when the King did not want her, which was more often lately, but only because Anne was about ready to burst.

"Ill?" he asked, worried as he sat on her bed with her. "How so?"

"I've been very sick to my stomach from the stress of it all. Just with keeping everyone happy, and everything with you and I secret, and then Anne releasing me from her services today…" she shook her head, putting a hand on her stomach which was beginning to turn again. "I just haven't been feeling well."

A week later, when Madge was supposed to get her courses, they did not come. She became instantly worried, but because it was the morning, she could not go to William for comfort. _What do I do? _She thought, worried. She had no one but William in the world because she had lost all her lady friends when she had bed the king. Madge's only option was to go to her uncle and tell him. He would of course assume that the child belonged to the King, because to his knowledge, and the king's she had been nothing but a maid when she had gone to him that first night. But Madge knew that she had slept with Will recently too, and the thought of not knowing who's child it would be made her feel sick to her stomach.

She walked to her uncle's rooms and knocked on the door timidly.

"Who is it?" The Duke called.

"Madge Sheldon, your grace." She replied.

"Come in then, Madge." He said.

Madge entered the room with her head hung low, and Thomas looked up at her after a few moments of silence. He sat as his desk as he always did, looking at some papers. "What is it Madge?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her. He wanted to know why she had disturbed him if she wasn't even going to say anything! _Stupid girl._

"My lord." She said, curtseying to him, her head still hanging low. She looked up at him and felt immediately embarrassed. She didn't know what to say, where to begin. She didn't even know how he would react and she was nervous.

"Well, spit it out, won't you girl?" he demanded, crossing his arms. "Why have you come to speak with me if you have nothing to say? You know I hate when people waste my time, so are you going to speak up or stand there like a fool?"

Madge shook her head and made full eye contact with her uncle. She gulped. "I have missed my courses, my lord."

For a moment, Thomas did not react, and then he raised his eyebrows in a surprised manner. "You've missed your courses, you say? You're sure?"

She nodded her head. "Yes, my lord. I am sure. I have been sick as a dog for over a week, too." Truthfully she had not thought much of that until that morning, when she had missed her courses. She had thought that her illness had been caused by the emotional stress and upset she was experiencing, but clearly, she had been very wrong.

Thomas rose from his seat, his hands on his desk. His niece, the King's mistress, was carrying the king's child. His other niece, the King's wife, was carrying the king's child. He had hit the jackpot with this one, and he hadn't even previously thought about Madge getting pregnant. Now he could have a King on the throne in the future and a bastard heir to the throne that would probably get rewarded with some dukedom, like the FitzRoy boy had. How wonderful! "That is great news Madge… why are you hanging your head low as if you have gone and done something wrong?" he asked.

"Because Anne will be furious with me." Madge said, which was true. She was scared to have Anne find out, and possibly take away some of her glory. After all, Anne was due soon, if she gave the King another daughter or had a miscarriage, he would be unhappy with her, and he would have Madge's pregnancy to look forward to. She decided to withhold the part where she wasn't sure whose child it was.

"It does not matter what Anne thinks! She will have a son for the king, an heir, and you will have the back up. She should be thankful for you, you're basically saving her from having another child." Thomas said, chuckling devilishly to himself. Things were going very well for him at this moment in time, and he was enjoying it.

Madge had trouble seeing the situation from her uncle's point of view. She knew that Anne would not be thankful, like he said, but angry. She wasn't about to argue with her uncle about it though, she merely sighed and nodded her head in response.

"Stop being so glum, won't you?" Thomas insisted. "It's putting a damper on my mood. You must tell the King of this news."

"Must I, my lord?" she asked, frowning a little.

"Of course! He will be joyous to hear that he may have two sons on the way! You will tell him this evening."


End file.
